Bullet Wound
by GreenNinja23
Summary: In a world full of secret agents and spies, they're Fairy Tail's best team. All harbor unique abilities and talents that make them the best at what they do. Trying to live life and double as a secret agent is never easy but they seem to be getting the hang of it. Rating for language and suggestive themes. Multiple pairings
1. Intro

"With all due respect Master Makarov, how can we be sure your agents will be able to complete the mission? We put the best of Sabertooth on this and they weren't able to capture the target."

Master Makarov smirked at the question and pressed a button on the end of his desk. A monitor slid up from the floor in front of the counsel. They looked puzzled so he wandered from behind his desk and stood next to the images on the screen.

"Then let me explain gentlemen."

He pressed another button and a slideshow started. Several pictures lined up against each other, side by side, of seven agents. Once that faded a picture of a scowling Gajeel appeared first. Key bullet points faded into view next to his image. Master Makarov began to speak.

"Every agent in Fairy Tail is strong and capable but I've put together an unstoppable team. Every member brings a unique talent with them and are known throughout Flore for their excellent abilities."

One of the men raised his hand with a disapproving look.

"You mean to tell me your agents are known on a name basis? We're a _secret_ agency Master Makarov."

The old man brushed off his tone and simply shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I misspoke. I meant my agents are known by their codenames. As always every member of Fairy Tail is well hidden and living on base for their protection. They only venture into Flore when they have a mission; otherwise they stay on base in the Fairy Tail jurisdiction in Magnolia."

The man nodded in approval and everyone once again grew quiet so Makarov could finish his presentation. He gestured to back to the picture of Gajeel.

"This here is Gajeel Redfox or _Metal Mouth_." At the strange looks, Makarov sighed. "None of my agents named themselves. Instead they named each other and Natsu's name won."

A few quiet snickers were heard. Natsu was known very well among these men so Makarov didn't really need to explain himself.

"He's skilled in everything iron and was put in charge of machinery for Fairy Tail. He's built us armor and weapons that have saved many lives. Out in the field, he's a great shot and easily one of the physically strongest men we have."

Gajeel's picture disappeared and a pretty blue haired girl appeared on screen. She was sitting in a big chair surrounded by monitors, a pair of red glasses hanging around her neck. Her smile was sweet.

"Levy McGarden AKA _Shrimp._ She's our tech. She's incredibly intelligent and with help from Gajeel has built numerous gadgets to aid our agents. For example, she designed the Fairy Tail earpieces which allow all agents to communicate with each other through speech or a simply beep. She can hack into almost any system and because of this we're able to get eyes on the scene through security cameras."

Levy's face faded and another blue haired girl smiled at them. Her hair was much longer and flowed like beach waves and her skin was pale and clear. The large hat on her head stood out the most.

"This is Juvia Lockser, also known as the _Rain Woman_. She's simply the best swimmer in the world. She can hold her breath for more than five minutes and swim at record breaking speeds. Her skills allow us entrance into enemy territory in ways they don't expect."

A shirtless dark haired man appeared next. His blue eyes were wide in panic as he looked down at his exposed torso. Makarov sighed and rolled his eyes affectionately.

"Gray Fullbuster. His codename is _Ice Wizard._ He's designed multiple ice themed defense gadgets that have proven helpful. He built the ice slider that shoots out of the back of your vehicle if being chased, the ice cannon that literally shoots large icicles at an enemy and the ice geyser that when deployed shoots a foundation of water into the air that quickly freezes and acts as a barricade. He's also our second best shot."

"Why is he shirtless in the picture?"

"….I said my agents were the best at what they do. Not that they were fully clothed."

An awkward pause filled the room and Makarov cleared his throat before continuing. A red head with a victory smirk on her face appeared next. She had a gun in one hand and a sword in the other. Everyone in the room shivered. She was well known.

"Erza Scarlet... _Titania_. She's our most skilled agent. She taught each of our female agents perfect hand to hand combat and is easily the best shot in all of Fairy Tail. Though she doesn't have the chance to use the skill often, Erza is also very talented with a sword."

A less intimidating picture appeared of a beautiful blonde. She was wearing an elegant black dress, singing in what appeared to be a club and in mid note when the picture was taken. Another picture slid in next to it and everyone shuttered once more. The blonde was in mid strike and appeared to be right in the middle of breaking an enemy's nose.

"Lucy Heartfilia. _Celestial Princess._ Because of her extraordinary voice and less threatening demeanor, she is often used as a distraction or a way to get information. She is Erza's prodigy; she's one of our best fighters on the team."

"Wait, her face looks familiar." A council member leaned forward to get a better look. Makarov nodded.

"She's the newest agent. She came in about two years ago and brought twelve of the most wanted with her. With Lucy's connections we've been able to make an ally with the gang known as the Celestial spirits. Leo the lion, under the codename _Loke_ has agreed to become a part of Fairy Tail to be closer to Lucy. The other eleven agents gave Lucy a phone that she can use to call them in times of need; because of this we were able to apprehend the drug lord Duke Everlue."

"Does the council have access to these numbers?"

"No sir I'm afraid they only permitted Lucy to use the phone and she's under strict orders to keep all their info confidential."

Makarov noticed the displeased look every man seemed to give one another but he chose to ignore it. He cleared his throat.

"Lucy has proven herself time and time again and has never given me a reason not to trust her."

Everyone fell deathly silent at his serious tone and Makarov used the tense atmosphere to let his PowerPoint continue. A man with pink hair and a bright smile appeared on screen. A painted blue cat was peeking out from the top of his head.

"Natsu Dragneel. Fairy Tail's famous _Salmander._ I'm sure many of you are familiar with this young man. He's been with us since he was a young boy and his fire wrists are quite productive if not a little destructive."

"You can say that again." One man snorted. "He almost blew up Fairy Tail when he first built those things."

Makarov shrugged sheepishly at the memory.

"Uh yes that was quite a day. He's improved greatly since then. Fairy Tail couldn't work without Natsu."

Everyone seemed to smile lightly in agreement. The PowerPoint continued further to show pictures or short videos of the agents training. Makarov grew hopeful when he noticed some men nodding quietly to each other. When the presentation was over, a few tense minutes followed. Finally the man at the head of the table, stood and nodded.

"We're officially handing this case to Fairy Tail as long as we're in agreement on something."

"Anything sir."

"Your team gets in and out and the target is taken alive. We like what we see Master Makarov and if your team does well with this case, we have a few other top priorities we would like to give them."

Makarov grinned and stuck a finger in the air triumphantly.

"Fairy Tail won't let you down."

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 **This was just an intro chapter. I have the real chapter all typed up and ready. You guys will get to see our agents in action!**

 **Thanks for the support, be sure to review and check out my other stories.**

 _-Katie_


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey guys. Back once more with the first real chapter of Bullet Wound. I got a few favorites and follows right off the back and 6 reviews for the intro chapter. Normally I ask for ten reviews before I update again but I was so excited that I was willing to let it slide for the first chapter. I'd like ten reviews before my next update though! I'd love to hear what you guys think!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize**

 _Song used: Feeling Good by Michael Buble_

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The place was dim, the only light in the room was from the soft glow of lamps scattered across the velvet tabletops. Every male in the area was dressed in dark black suits and tuxedos with sneers and smirks that could kill. The man running the bar glared at a passing customer and adjusted one of his eyebrow piercings as he did another scan.

A beep deep in his ear let him know they have eyes and ears on everything. Dark eyes scan to meet everyone else's to signal the show is about to start. A redhead dressed in a dark blue cocktail dress nods at him discretely before tilting her head towards the right. A dark haired man with piercing blue eyes shifted his feet under the table, the sign his hidden weapon was loaded and ready to be fired if circumstances changed. Knowing everything was a go on the inside, Gajeel discretely reached up to scratch his ear and release the signal. Seconds later the curtains hiding the stage in the front of the room were pulled to the side to reveal a beautiful grand piano and speakers. The orange haired man sitting on the piano stool grinned cheekily before his attention was stolen by the main attraction.

She took the stage –and every male's attention- with practiced ease; her long legs seemingly going for miles in her midnight black heels. The red dress she wore was skin tight, long enough to touch the floor and showed off her every curve; her breasts looked about ready to pop out from the fabric. Her long, blonde hair was pulled to the right side of her head and several strands were curled delicately. Her painted red lips were formed in a sly smirk, practically dripping with seduction. She let her fingers glide across the piano top slowly; every eye in the room followed the movement. Seconds later, she pulled a microphone up to her full, red lips with a single gloved hand and began to sing; no introduction needed because her name wasn't important. No one came here to hear her name and she knew it.

Her voice was beautiful and clear and rang throughout the room since no music was actually playing. It was seductive and almost playful.

" _Birds flying high, you know how I feel._

 _Sun in the sky, you know how I feel._

 _Breeze drifting on by…you know how I feel._

 _It's a new dawn, it's a new day, and it's a new life for me_

 _And I'm feeling…._ _ **good."**_

A smirk settled on her lips and the men around her were panting. Just the sound of her voice; so husky and seductive, the room had seemed to heat up several degrees and every male leaned a little closer to the stage. The bass and jazz pounded through the speakers as the beautiful singer gave a small twirl. Someone whistled in the crowd.

A beep sounded in his ear. Gajeel reached up again and pretended to scratch an itch. No one was looking at him, too distracted with the blonde like they had planned, but he didn't want to be obvious. There was a quick hiss before a voice was ringing in his ear; it sounded as if Salamander was talking right next to him.

" _Salamander here; I've made it to the roof and I have visual on the target. Group of about….five men are guarding him but they're no bigger than Juvia. I can take em down."_

" **No Natsu-san!"** Another voice ran through his head. **"Juvia swam through the large water pipes leading to the huge outside waterfalls and found eight more guards just around the corner. You go in there, you don't come out. We need to stick to the original plan."**

" _Rain Woman's right Salmander. We can't risk it. Let our Celestial Princess handle it. She's done this type of thing before. We need to have faith she'll get the job done"_ Erza chimed in. She was very strict about using their code names during these types of conversations in case they were to be hacked but Gajeel never saw the point. The Shrimp was monitoring their every move with the hidden cameras placed all over the joint and she had designed the technology herself; there's no way for anyone else to hack her. She was the best. Gajeel glanced over at the red head and noticed she was causally sipping a drink he had made for her earlier. Nothing looked out of the ordinary.

" _Fine."_ Natsu snapped. _"I'll give her ten minutes then I'm barging in there. I don't like the look of this guy and I don't want Luce alone with him for too long. He seems like the type to test out his girls before shipping them around the country."_

Gajeel grimaced but everyone seemed to be in agreement. The guy they were closing in on –the guy they had been hunting for _six months_ mind you- was a big name in human trafficking. Millions of girls had their lives stolen from them because of this bastard and Gajeel could admit he was a little excited about getting the chance to rough him up. If Natsu didn't beat him to it….Or Lucy.

Gajeel looked back up to the stage. Lucy still had everyone's attention and while her smirk said she was happy to have all the perverted stares on her, her brown eyes were hard and full of irritation. No one else seemed to notice but the other agents watching her and Gajeel guessed that after working with each other for almost two years, he begun to see the little things.

" _Dragonfly out in the sun, you know what I mean dontcha know?_

 _Butterflies all having fun, you know what I mean_

 _Sleep in peace when day is done, that's what I mean_

 _And this old world is a new world and a bold world!_

 _For me_

 _A-for me!"_

The trumpets only added more to the beat and even Gajeel's eyes widened in mild interest when Lucy's dress revealed a long slit going up her legs. It looked long enough to show her panties but fortunately (or unfortunately depending on who you are) didn't. Lucy began to walk down the small steps leading out to the crowd. She gently patted a few men's faces as a tease and they melted as she passed them by. Once her eyes settled on Gray's, she slowly made her way over and ran her tongue over her mouth lightly before straddling him and taking a hold of his black tie with her free hand. When she sang, she leaned back and wiggled in his lap to the beat.

Gajeel saw Erza blush at the interaction and even he could feel his cheeks getting warm, but they both knew what she was doing. He was just glad Juvia was outside in the water instead of in the room. She would have totally blown their cover by declaring Lucy a "LOVE RIVAL" once again and ripping her off Gray's lap.

" _Stars when you shine, you know how I feel_

 _Scent of the pine, you know how I feel_

 _Oh freedom is mine!_

 _And I know how I feel_

 _It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life."_

Lucy slid off Gray's lap and Gajeel had no doubt, she slipped the small paper of information into the hidden pocket on the back of his tie when she grabbed it. When she moved across the room once more, Gajeel noticed Gray adjust his tie and his pants. He rolled his eyes.

Lucy practically slid over to a large man standing by the door. He was second in command to the big guy they were hunting down and he needed to be distracted so Erza could sneak in the door behind him. His eyes had been on Lucy the second she walked onto the stage and it wasn't hard to grab him by the tie and lure him closer.

" _It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life_

 _It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life_

 _It's a new life for me!_

 _And I'm feeling…._ _ **good.**_

 _I'm feeling good."_

Lucy's free hand glided down the man's chest and gently skimmed the top of his pants before roaming back up. Gajeel heard the man grunt something about a tease even over the music. He could tell Lucy was holding back a good ol' Lucy kick by the small twitch she tried to cover up. Erza easily slid pass the duo and through the door. Lucy bit her lip as she finished the song.

" _I feel_ **so good**

 _I feel so good."_

Everyone readily clapped and Lucy took a modest bow before returning to the stage to turn the attention to her friend at the piano. People clapped for him as well but it was clear they were still very much interested in the blonde. She grinned one more seductive smile and floated off the stage. Gajeel's eyes followed her every move. She was greeted by two goons and played coy as they offered to take her to the boss. When she nodded and took their hands, Gajeel moved from behind the bar to try and clear everyone out. Loke snuck behind the curtain to help Erza take out the guards outside. Gray was up from his seat the instant Lucy was lead through the door.

"Alright you perverts, you got your show! Now out!" Gajeel shouted roughly. His voice echoed throughout the room and most of the men cleared out just from the mere tone of his voice. For the ones that ignored him and stayed behind, hoping to catch another glimpse of the beautiful singer, Gray grew annoyed and handled them. Whipping out his gun from his pants leg in just a few seconds, he fired two shots into the air and rolled his eyes as everyone panicked and ran past him out the door. Gajeel gave him a look when they were the last two in the main room. Gray shrugged and began to tug off his tie. He unfolded the small piece of paper and handed it to Gajeel to read, ignoring his look.

"Room's soundproof. No one heard."

"Good thing Master insisted on it then." A beep sounded in his ear and he shared a look with Gray. Lucy had slipped a quick rundown of the building and the goons inside into Gray's tie so they knew where to go. "We need to move."

Both men hurried to the door, the only sign they had been there was Gray's discarded shirt on the floor.

0~0~0~0~0

Lucy tuned out whatever the man began to say. The only thing she could hear was herself internally screaming. She _hated_ these types of jobs but she was one of the only qualified to do it. Erza wouldn't seduce; only intimidate and Juvia couldn't do anything resembling cheating on her precious Gray-sama. Lucy resisted the urge to roll her eyes and forced herself to pay attention. She adjusted the necklace Natsu had given her and known the others had received her beep; they would all know she was in the room with their target. Their mission would be over in ten minutes tops.

"-girl such as yourself. You've got quite the… _voice."_ The idiot grinned as his eyes shamelessly roamed over her body. Lucy internally shuttered in disgust and smiled sweetly.

"You'd be surprised what my _voice_ can do." She purred, moving closer to him. God she wanted to whip out her gun right now and shoot this asshole right between the eyes but Lucy knew she couldn't. Master had wanted him alive and that's what he was going to get. This idiot had important contacts that they needed if they wanted to fully bring down his sex trafficking business.

The man who named himself Elliot for her benefit wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. Lucy tilted her head to the side so he could kiss her neck. Instead he licked it and took a deep breath. Lucy felt her teeth clench as he openingly groped her. The other five men in the room didn't seem bothered and Lucy wondered just how often they saw something like this.

Something caught her eye above her and Lucy held back an annoyed gasp. _Elliot_ had reached down to grasp her butt and his hands squeezed roughly. Lucy didn't feel it. She glared at the man on the glass ceiling above them. His dark clothes helped him blend into the night sky but his bright pink hair was a dead giveaway. His green eyes, normally so full of joy and care were narrowed at the scene below him and Lucy shivered. _If looks could kill…_

Mistaking her shiver for one of pleasure, Elliot hummed against her skin and moved his hands closer to her chest. Lucy tensed when his eyes lingered on her necklace so she quickly thrusted her cleavage closer to his face to distract him. His attention was immediately stolen away with the necklace forgotten. Elliot chuckled and ran a hand down her hip back to her bottom.

"You'll do just fine for what we have planned. You practically had everyone panting for you tonight. I think I need a taste for myself."

Lucy nodded and got ready for her move. Elliot was thoroughly distracted with her body and if she could free her hands enough to reach for the blade connected to her panties or the small pistol hooked to the side of her bra, she could attack. Having him alone in a room would be her chance. Lucy grasped his hand.

"Sounds wonderful." She lied beautifully. "Mind showing me to your room? I think I want to get tonight started."

Elliot grinned and tugged her unbearably close. Lucy gasped at the sudden move. She could smell the liquor on his breath and the smoke from his cigarette on his clothes. Elliot licked his lips as he stared at hers and Lucy almost whimpered. Oh god...she'd do anything when under cover but she might blow the operation when she vomited after kissing this guy. The problem was handled for her. Just as Elliot got close enough for his lips to skim hers, a loud crash was heard above them and Lucy lifted her hands to shield herself from the falling glass.

A roar of rage was heard and fire seemed to fly around the room. Lucy sighed and shoved Elliot away from her as he stared helplessly. Natsu's fire machines were working once more and he was showing off exactly what he could do with them. The gloves he wore protected himself from the heat but gave him enough space to literally throw fire around the room from the small cannons on his wrist.

The five guards immediately jumped into action but one fell within a second when Natsu punched him with a fire-covered fist. Elliot grabbed her arm roughly and shoved her into the desk.

" _You!_ You brought assassins here? You dumb bit-"

Lucy scoffed and cut him off as she easily gripped his wrist at a pressure point and switched their positions. She spun him around and slammed him into his desk, taking great pleasure in the fact he howled in pain. She noticed Natsu about done with the guards and leaned down to whisper in _Elliot's_ ear.

"You're _done_ Michaels." Andrew Michaels' eyes widened when she spoke his real name. "After what you did to all those girls? All those families you destroyed? Living another day is a god damn gift we're giving you. You're lucky I didn't put a bullet in your oversized head the second I walked in here."

"I'll get out of whatever prison you put me in!" Andrew cried. "I have connections! You can't touch me!"

Lucy laughed and shook her head. She could hear Natsu approaching and quickly wrapped everything up.

"Fairy Tail has its own prison you know." At the name, Andrew began to try and wiggle free. Panic was evident on his face. Everyone knew once you were captured by _Fairy Tail,_ you were done. Lucy pulled the glove off her left hand to present her mark. She took absolute glee at his colorless face. He looked half dead with fear.

"We have a lot of men locked away there that would absolutely _love you_ Michaels! Guess you'll finally figure out what it was like for all those girls you ruined."

Natsu handed her a pair of Gajeel's unbreakable iron cuffs and she easily snapped them onto Andrew's wrists before hauling him up off the desk. Gray and Gajeel burst into the room and both men groaned when they saw broken glass, all the unconscious men and Natsu looking pretty pleased with himself right in the middle. Lucy laughed lightly and shoved Andrew into Gajeel's awaiting arms. They all ignored his desperate pleas.

"Erza took care of all the guards outside. Levy's got all the tapes recorded and sent to Master and Juvia and Loke are ready with the cars."

Lucy nodded at Gray's quick update and she clapped her hands. Natsu walked over and offered his shoulder to grab so she could take off her heels. Lucy practically moaned as she did. She practically shoved the demon shoes into Gray's hands and rubbed her sore feet. She loved heels as much as the next girl but _damn_ hours in them were tortured.

"You did a good job Lucy." Gray complimented. "You got that information about the guard placements and slipped it into my tie without anyone noticing. Without that Gajeel and I might not have found you in this place. This room is practically hidden away."

"Yeah well it's all a part of the job." Lucy shuttered and wrapped her arms around herself. Gajeel took this moment to tug Andrews out of the room. His loud protests echoed down the hall. "Some parts are just worse than others. I swear I can still feel his slimy hands on me!"

Gray nodded and gave her a sad smile while Natsu shut off his fire wrists to wrap and arm around his best friend comfortingly. Lucy sighed and leaned into his embrace. Natsu didn't show her any physical affection often and she happily enjoyed the moment.

"You know no one likes putting you in that position and if we had someone else at our ranking that could do it…" Gray trailed off. Lucy huffed.

"Yeah, yeah I get it. Levy's the brains and can't be out in the field. Erza is too scary and Juvia would rather shoot herself then flirt with someone besides you."

Gray flushed at the mention of the beautiful swimmer before panic flew across his face.

"Uh about that…can we not tell Juvia about how you got the information to me?"

Lucy felt the color drain from her face as she nodded quickly.

"Oh god no! She would _kill me!"_

"Why? How'd you get Gray the info?" Natsu asked cluelessly. Both Gray and Lucy blushed at the memory and took a few steps away from each other. Neither answered and Lucy could see Natsu frown in frustration. She was saved from further embarrassment when Natsu's stomach growled loudly. Laughter bubbled out of her lips and Lucy gripped the arm still wrapped around her almost lovingly.

"I still have left overs at my place." She announced. Natsu cheered and grabbed her wrist to tug her towards the exit. Lucy ignored Gray's teasing look and let herself be led out to the cars. Everyone was waiting for them. Andrews was in one car with Loke, Gajeel and Erza and Juvia jumped out of the second car to rush towards Gray. She almost knocked them both over when she hugged him.

"Ack! Juvia you're still wet!"

"Juvia's always wet around her Gray-sama!"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!"

Lucy snickered and followed Natsu into the backseat. Since she could still hear Gray's flustered shouting she figured she had a few minutes. Now semi alone with her best friend, she reached over to slap him. Natsu hissed.

"What was that for?!"

"You stupid pyro! I had everything handled and you just crashed into the room!"

"There were five guys in there not counting Michaels! You couldn't have taken them all out by yourself!"

"Michaels was about to take me to his bedroom! Another few seconds and I would have had him alone and been able to cuff him!"

"Another couple seconds and that asshole's lips would have been touching yours! I wasn't going to just sit there and watch _that!"_

Lucy grimaced at the thought but her irritation refused to leave. She huffed.

"And why not? You know stuff like that can be a part of the job. You can't just crash into the room when you see something you don't like Natsu! You can compromise the whole operation being reckless like that!"

Natsu glared at her halfheartedly and held his hands up. Lucy noticed when he shifted a little further away from her. She didn't like it and hesitantly reached out to touch his wrist. Natsu sighed when she did and slumped against her. She knew he didn't have his medication with him and as soon as the car began to move, he'd be a green, sick mess.

"I just don't like that you have to be touched and grabbed like that." He admitted quietly. "You don't like it and I never want you to feel that kind of uncomfortability. You don't deserve that."

Lucy smiled softly and began to run her fingers through his hair, something she has down countless times before. Natsu practically purred in her lap at the action and Lucy bit back a laugh.

"Natsu." She cooed. It was moments like these that reminded her why Natsu was her best friend. Even during missions he was always looking out for her and her feelings. While Lucy knew that was a dangerous thing, it had worked out for them this time and she could be grateful he cared.

"I just didn't want to watch that guy kiss you. I already had to watch him grab you…and touch you like that….I was just seeing red by the time he moved to kiss you." Natsu looked up at her with big, wide eyes. Lucy groaned. His famous puppy dog eyes. "Are you still mad?"

Lucy sighed and a smile slid across her lips. She stroked his cheek before going back to petting his head.

"No you stupid pyro I'm not mad."

"Good." Juvia and Gray slid into the car. Natsu tensed until she began to lightly scratch at his scalp. "I don't like when you're mad at me."

Lucy simply smiled.

0~0~0~0~0

When she began to settle down for bed, she could already feel something was off. After Natsu had left an hour earlier (after practically eating everything in the kitchen) she had turned off the TV, closed her laptop and locked the doors. Everyone had to live on base for protection but she had earned enough money to buy her own house. The privacy alone was worth all the money in the world. Lucy walked into her room and smiled when she saw her white puppy Plue sleeping peacefully on his pet bed. Lucy gently rubbed his ears and the dog merely shifted onto his back in his sleep. Lucy giggled.

When she made it to her bed, she noticed what was wrong. The window hadn't been opened. Lucy glanced at the clock. Normally he was here by now. Was he not coming? Lucy felt something tighten in her chest at the idea. For almost as long as they had known each other, Natsu always snuck into her room at night, his stupid and adorable blue cat with him. They had only begun to share a bed three months before and Lucy worried he didn't like it anymore.

Before her thoughts could go to dark places, the window slid open and a blue cat was plopped onto the bed. When his eyes caught hers, he let out a tired meow.

"Hey Happy." Lucy whispered gently. She ran her hand down his back and smiled when Happy purred loudly at her touch. Natsu didn't have as much grace as his cat and fell on his face as soon as he was inside. Lucy merely shut and locked the window behind him.

"Sorry I'm late! The ice bastard caught me leaving and wouldn't let me go without playing twenty questions."

Lucy nodded. Gray and Natsu had been living together for quite a while and he always seemed to know when Natsu leaves their apartment. He had been the first to question Lucy about Natsu's nighttime habits but she hadn't confirmed anything in fear of being teased again.

"You tell him you were coming here?"

"He guessed. Apparently I haven't been as secretive as I thought." Natsu pouted. "And here I thought I was a ninja."

Lucy laughed at his crestfallen expression and helped him off the floor. Natsu took a good look at her outfit and nodded in approval. Lucy had worn her faded black shorts and one of his old base camp shirts as pajama's. Her long, blonde hair was in a messy bun on the top of her head. The shorts only went to mid-thigh and you could barely see them underneath the shirt but she looked so much like _Lucy_ that Natsu couldn't help but grin.

"You look nice." He complimented with faint red cheeks. Lucy gave him a look and gestured to her outfit. Natsu looked again simply because she gave him permission to.

"Did you not see me earlier?" Lucy asked in disbelief. "I look like a slob right now."

"Nah." Natsu dismissed. He pulled back her bed covers and climbed in. Lucy waited for him to get settled. "You looked like a completely different person in that red dress today. Right now you just look like Lucy…. _Just_ Lucy."

"Just Lucy huh?" Lucy mumbled tiredly. She climbed in bed next to him and wrapped the covers around their bodies. Natsu paused for a second before nodding and pulling her back to his chest. His hand curled around her stomach and he took a quick sniff of her hair. Strawberries as usual. It smelt like home.

"Just Lucy." Natsu agreed. Seconds later they both fell into a deep sleep, Happy curled at their feet.

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 **In the next chapter, I'm going to explore what they do in their down time together so it'll be more of a fun chapter. Remember ten reviews for the next update! :3**

 **Thanks to** _Crimsonlink310, dogsrcool5, katiekat2001 (Ha love the name!) NeverBetAgainstGirls, and AnonymousStalkerFriend_ **for reviewing!** _nonja_ **sorry the story wasn't for you but I hope you had a nice nap**

 **Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out my other Fairy Tail story!**

 **-Katie**


	3. Girl's Night

**Man I can't tell you guys how excited I am. I didn't think I would get ten reviews so soon since I'm new to the fandom but you guys delivered! I went on vacation with my family since I start my senior year in two weeks but when I got back and saw just how many follows, reviews and favorites I got for both this story and When the Dust Settles, I was beside myself. You guys are awesome so I wanted to give you and extra long chapter.**

 **This kinda briefly skims over the pasts of our female Fairy Tail agents. The next chapter should be the guys. Let me know what you think!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.**

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Lucy leaned down to rest her head on her extended arm. Her notebook was next to her and her pencil was unmoving. She let out a soft groan of annoyance before sitting back up and leaning her chin into her palm. Mirajane grabbed another glass to wipe down and smiled at her.

"Writer's block?" She guessed. Lucy nodded miserably. She had been working on her third novel for a few months now. The first two had sold decently well under her pen name Ashley but her readers were waiting patiently for the third and Lucy wanted to finish for them.

"Yes! I've been trying to write Haru's and Juno's romantic scene for _days!_ I have almost two books full of their adventures together but as soon as I try to write them in a romantic light, my brain seems to stop."

"Well…" Mira paused to smile slyly. "When was the last time you had a date?"

Lucy blinked. She didn't notice the gleam in Mirajane's eyes.

"A date?" She questioned, tilting her head.

"Yeah! When was the last time a man gave you flowers, took you out to a nice dinner and gave you a goodbye kiss leaving you weak at the knees?" Mira asked with a dreamy smile. Lucy laughed lightly. Mira loved everything romance.

"It's been a while." Lucy admitted. "I've had some offers but it's hard to meet someone decent when you're barely allowed out into the world. I'm always on missions."

"Well you could date someone inside the agency!" Mira suggested. "There's no rule against it and you wouldn't even have to stick with Fairy Tail boys if you didn't want to! Sabertooth isn't too far from here."

Lucy smiled but shook her head. She tapped her pencil against her notebook as she took a quick glance around. She was mildly surprised to see Fairy Tail fight free. It was around noon which meant a lot of people were crowded into the tavern of Fairy Tail's base. Normally when this many agents were around, a fight would quickly break out.

"I'm not so sure I want to date anyone for story ideas. It might be a warped concept but I'd like to think love _can_ exist."

Mira smiled sadly but chose not to comment. Lucy glanced down at her hands and sighed. She was constantly writing love stories to make up for the past. It helped sometimes but the idea of genuine love made her feel conflicted. She had only seen it until she was seven and after losing her mother, her father made her question everything love was supposed to be. Before old demons could resurface, Lucy smiled once more and shook her head. She was happy now; she didn't need to worry about the past anymore. She left it behind.

"I think that last case left me a little down. I just need a fun night out. You think Master Makarov will allow me to take the girls to the club?"

Mira paused to think before nodding.

"I'm sure he would! He told me the council was very pleased with your team. An award should be in order."

"Awesome!" Lucy cheered. She lifted her fist in victory. "You want to come with us Mira?"

"Oh no, you guys earned the break. Lisanna and I are going to have a nice night in together."

Lucy smiled at the mention of the other girl and nodded as she stood up. She gathered her writing notebook and waved as she took off towards the exit.

"Another time then! See you later Mira!"

 _Twenty Minutes Later_

Humming under her breath, Lucy began to grab various items around her bedroom. Plue happily barked at her when she passed him but ultimately went back to chewing his bone. After grabbing her pencils and notebook, she plugged in her laptop and sat down. Lucy took a small sip of the water bottle she had before setting it back on the floor and opening a word document. She grinned when she noticed how many pages she had typed.

"We're looking good so far." She approved with a smile. Cracking her knuckles, she flipped to a page in her notebook and after a few glances began to type away. She may not be able to write a love scene but she could always do action.

 _Haru crashed into the room in a flurry of punches of kicks and Juno used the distraction to break free of the guard's grasp. She spun on her toes and jabbed her elbow into the guard's face as he rushed back towards her. Now back to back with her best friend and partner, she felt empowered. Grinning, Juno kicked away another guard and peeked behind her. Haru looked over his shoulder to smirk at her._

" _Glad you could join the party." She joked. Haru reached into his pocket and three daggers appeared between his fingers._

" _And let you have all the fun? No way."_

"Oh so Haru came to her rescue huh? Kinda like I did for the Matthew's case?"

Lucy let out a shriek of surprise and quickly spun in her chair to jab at the intruder's throat. A hand caught her wrist and in her panic, she didn't notice the small fire tattoo's on his wrists. She stood from the chair and grabbed the hand gripping her wrist. Using it, she spun around and easily flipped her attacker over her shoulder and to the floor. Only when she was standing above him, his arm seconds away from being broken, did Lucy notice the bright pink hair. She immediately let him go.

"Oh my god! Natsu, I am _so sorry!_ Are you hurt?"

Natsu bounced back up to his feet and nodded. He smiled brightly and offered her a thumbs up.

"Yeah!" He cheered. "That's gonna be pretty sore in the morning…You really know some moves Luce!"

Lucy rolled her eyes but couldn't help but giggle to herself as she helped him up. He was still smiling at her when she began to dust him off. Happy meowed at his feet and purred when he began to rub against her legs. It seems like they both snuck in _-once again-_ to visit her.

"Only you Nastu Dragneel, would be happy when a girl is able to take you down."

"Well yeah! It just shows how strong you are! You're one of the best Luce."

Lucy adjusted his shirt and smiled to herself. She flattened her hand against his chest and patted it before smiling up at him. Her stomach felt lighter when his smile widened for her.

"Thanks."

Lucy felt her cheeks grow warm as she continued to stare into Natsu's green eyes. They always seemed to be full of warmth and affection whenever they were locked onto hers. His hand was warm in hers and she desperately wanted to grab his other hand to interlock their fingers; she just wanted to know what it felt like.

Natsu seemed oblivious to her inner struggle as he began to tell her a story about how he kicked Gray's ass in training earlier. Lucy zoned him out as her eyes lowered to his lips. They moved frantically as he told his story and Lucy wondered if they were as warm as his hands. Lucy's eyes widened as memories flashed through her mind.

Whenever she tried to visit him to make sure he ate….

" _Lucy I don't want your food! How many times do I have to tell you, you're not allowed in here! Get out right now!"_

How many times did she wait up for him? The servants read her bedtime stories, not her father.

" _I'm sorry Miss Lucy but your father had something come up tonight and he doesn't have time to tuck you in."_

" _But that's what he said yesterday! And the day before!"_

" _I know. I'm sorry sweetheart. I'm here though! And I'll read you whatever you want to hear."_

Or the worse….whenever she talked about Mom.

" _I washed my hands Daddy! Just like Mommy always said-"_

" _Lucy!" Her father roared. "Go to your room right now! Get out of my sight!"_

" _But Daddy-!"_

" _NOW Lucy!"_

"Lucy?"

Lucy shook her head and quickly pulled her hand out from Natsu's grasp. She felt like someone dumped cold water all over her. She couldn't even bring herself to look Natsu in the eye; she didn't know exactly what she felt for him but it was bigger than friendship and she wasn't ready to accept that yet. He was too important; _they_ were too important.

"I need to go train with Erza." Lucy explained hurriedly. It wasn't _exactly_ a lie. Lucy was supposed to meet Erza in two hours to train. She would just be a little early.

"Oh." Natsu mumbled. He reached up to scratch the back of his head and smiled somewhat sheepishly. "Well okay. We can catch up later okay? Take care of yourself."

Lucy stopped her frantic escape to look back at her best friend. He was still looking nervous but smiled slightly when their eyes met. Lucy couldn't stop herself from smiling back softly.

"Always."

0~0~0~0~0

Heavy bubbles floated to the surface of the pool as the body sitting at the bottom adjusted her position. Juvia stared straight ahead as she crossed her legs in a meditating pose. Whenever she trained, she always tried to lengthen the time she could stay underwater. Being in a meditating pose seemed to help. The underwater clock showed six minutes and thirty seconds. The longest she had ever done was twenty. Though she could easily keep them open in the clear water, Juvia shut her eyes.

" _Throw her in the lake!" One child shouted. Juvia cried and struggled to try and escape the arms holding her down. After a chorus of agreements, her classmates began to drag her to the lake near their school._

" _No! Please! Juvia can't swim!"_

" _Better learn then!" A girl sneered from her right. Juvia felt heavy tears sliding down her cheeks as she continued to thrash. There were too many arms holding her in place and she simply wasn't strong enough to break free. As they got closer, panic began to bubble in her chest. Juvia started to scream apologies, hoping either a teacher would come to her aid or the children would simply take pity on her and let her go._

 _Neither happened._

 _Juvia resisted the urge to scream and instead took a large breath as the children tugged her across the dock and tossed her into the water. Being only ten, she wasn't very tall and the water seemed to swallow her instantly. She felt the chill of the water as it surrounded her and confined her. Juvia struggled to breach the surface but it seemed like whenever she flailed her legs, she sunk deeper. Juvia opened her eyes and ignored the burn. It seemed to vanish after a few seconds and she took a look around as she wiggled her arms._

 _She couldn't see a lot due to the fact that the dock's shadow was hiding whatever lurked underneath it but the sun's light reflected in the water and seemed to make everything glow. Juvia had never seen something so beautiful before._

 _She could barely hear the muffled shouts above her. When she felt herself dropping lower into the water, she hurriedly kicked her legs and waved her arms. She was surprised when she noticed she actually moved upwards. Someone else shouted and Juvia set aside her discovery. Her classmates were still above her but she could barely hear them. Was the water acting as a barrier and protecting her from their words? Could it really do that?_

 _Suddenly the idea of resurfacing didn't seem so appealing. Juvia's chest began to lightly ache and she tried to hold off her panic. She needed air right? There wasn't any down here for her. She felt a splash next to her before large arms were grabbing her and tugging her back to the surface. Juvia missed the safety of the water as soon as she was back on the dock. The children who were just panicking at the thought of her not coming back were laughing at her appearance. The dress she wore was now wet and heavy against her skin. The teacher who just saved her gripped her shoulders._

" _Juvia are you alright? You were down there for five minutes!"_

 _Juvia nodded timidly. The teacher shooed away the other kids and gently led her back to the school so she could see the nurse. Juvia took one last, longing look at the water._

Juvia's eyes snapped opened and she quickly pushed off the pool's concrete floor and soared upwards. When she resurfaced, she quickly grabbed onto the side for support. She panted lightly and reached up to touch the corner of her eye. Tears had appeared but she was completely wet; no one would notice.

"Juvia?" A wonderful voice called out hesitantly. Juvia instantly looked towards the door and almost melted when she noticed her beautiful Gray-sama holding a towel.

"Oh Gray-sama! You brought Juvia a towel!"

"Yeah, Lucy sent me in here for you. She wants to go out for a girl's night in about two hours…Told me I should pull you out of the pool now so you would have time to get ready."

Juvia nodded and lifted herself out of the pool. She shivered lightly at the cold air and smiled thankfully when Gray handed her the warm towel.

"Thank you." She said as she wrapped herself in its warmth. A small sigh escaped her lips as she smiled.

"Everything okay?"

Juvia nodded and gave him a strange look as she began to dry her long hair. She needed to shower fast or her beach curls would be frizzy.

"Yes Juvia is fine. Why?"

"You just seemed off when you came up. I've been watching for about five minutes."

"Gray-sama was watching Juvia underwater?" She asked with a teasing grin. "Did he like what he saw?"

Gray blushed and glared at her half-heartedly.

"Your hair was floating everywhere."

"It does that."

"You beat your record. Twenty one minutes and thirty two seconds."

"That's a nice start. Juvia can do better though."

Gray smiled at her determination and playfully ruffled her damp hair. Juvia retaliated by shaking her head and flinging water at him. He groaned.

"I always end up wet around you." He complained. Juvia smirked and opened her mouth to reply but Gray cut her off by placing a quick hand over her mouth. Her skin began to tingle pleasantly.

" _Don't say it."_ Gray warned. Juvia nodded and waited until he removed his hand.

"Juvia's always wet around her Gray-sama!" She called out teasingly as she ran past him and towards the locker room. She heard Gray groan again before he began to chase after her.

"No running around the pool!" Juvia called behind her. She laughed when she heard him stumble.

"You started it!"

Juvia laughed once more before slamming the locker room door open. Gray wouldn't follow her in here so she leaned back against the door and bit her lip to hide her growing smile. She lifted a hand to place it over her rapidly beating heart. Anytime she was around Gray it seemed to go crazy. She loved the feeling. Juvia knew she would never get tired of the way he made her feel.

In the two years that they have been working together, Juvia's learned she needed to take things slower and at his pace if she wanted any kind of relationship with Gray. When they had first met, they had fought for a position in the Fairy Tail agency. She had lost but the Master had been so impressed with her abilities, he had welcomed her too. The moment her eyes had locked on his, Juvia had fallen in love.

Two years of proclaiming her feelings, giving him gifts and idolizing his every move and Juvia was still single. She would wait forever if she had to but sometimes his signals were too hard to read and it seemed like he was simply not interested. And then there were days like today; it was little moments like the one they just shared that gave her hope. They may not be lovers but Juvia knew one hundred percent, they were friends.

It would have to do for now.

0~0~0~0~0

Levy nodded to herself as she typed in another code. Her small fingers seemed to fly across the keyboard. The only sound that could be heard in the dark room was the hurried typing from the small woman. The monitor beeped and she grinned. Yet another defense program installed. With this one installed, hacking into Fairy Tail's data would be close to impossible. Levy felt pride bubble in her chest.

This had always made sense to her. Growing up, she had read thousands of books on computers and their inner workings. There wasn't a technical problem she couldn't solve. Knowing something inside and out, knowing you have almost complete control over a system brought a sense of comfort to her. Because of her fast fingers and beeping monitors, she knew her friends were safe and under a watchful eye while they were out in the field.

She may not be able to fight through a horde of bad guys like the rest of them, but this she could do. Protecting them from the side lines would always be enough for her.

Before she could bring up another program, the burning lights were flipped on and her vision went white for a minute. Levy heard his unusual chuckle and smiled to herself. She let out a joking hiss and brought her arms up to her eyes.

"It burns!" She jested. When she opened her eyes, she found Gajeel leaning against the doorway smirking at her. "What's up Buttercup?"

"No."

Levy grinned wider and spun in her chair to fully face him. She stood up and stretched. A coy grin settled on her lips. They had been playing this game for over a month now. It was hard to believe a year ago, she was almost afraid of this guy; now he was practically her best friend.

"I'll find the perfect nickname for you someday you know."

"Keep dreaming."

Levy laughed and walked over to be closer. He smelt musky and his T-shirt was damp with sweat. She opened her small mini fridge to offer him a water bottle. He took it gratefully.

"Good workout?" She questioned with a smile. Gajeel caught her grin and smirked back.

"You know me. I was doing great until the _She Devil_ walked in." Gajeel shivered. "Blondie and I practically had our asses handed to us."

"Well you deserve it for calling Erza a She Devil!" Levy cried out, her cheeks puffing out lightly in mild irritation. Gajeel seemed to think she was adorable because he gently poked her cheek to let the air out. Levy tried to stay irritated but when Gajeel chuckled again, a small smile broke through.

"So what's going on? You normally don't come visit me here."

"Can't I pay my favorite techie nerd a visit?"

Levy rolled her eyes but couldn't help but blush lightly. She gave him a look and he held up his hands defensively before taking another drink of his water.

"Bunny Girl wanted me to grab you. She's taking all you girls out tonight."

Levy grinned brightly and practically bounced in place. She gripped Gajeel's arm as she did a little happy dance. He smirked at her reaction.

"When does she want us to meet?"

"Her place at six."

Levy glanced at the clock and noticed she only had an hour to get ready. She gasped lightly and hurried to shut down all her equipment. Once she was sure everything was secure, she grabbed her bag and her new book and moved to rush past Gajeel. He caught her arm at the door.

"Hey Shorty, you be careful tonight alright?" His normally gruff voice was gentle but his eyes were stern as they stared into hers. He looked serious enough that she knew she couldn't leave until she agreed. Levy simply stared at him for a moment before smiling softly and nodding. Her fingers gently brushed over the top of his.

"Of course Gajeel. You know we always are. I'll stick by Lucy or Erza okay?"

Nodding in approval, he squeezed her arm once more before letting her go. Levy smiled once more before adjusting her bag and moving through the door he held open for her. Once she was a few feet away she lifted a hand to wave behind her.

"See you later Honeybuns!"

" _No!"_

She broke into a run, her giggles echoing down the hall.

0~0~0~0~0

 _Bam!_

 _Bam!_

 _Boom!_

The bag broke off its chain and flew across the training room. Erza sighed and blew a few damp, red hairs out of her face before readjusting the gauze on her fingers. After Lucy had explained their girl's night, to help pass the time Erza decided to work a little more on the training bag. She glanced at the clock. She had forty minutes until they were supposed to meet up at Lucy's place. Not wanting to be late, she lifted the bag and carried it to the box with her name on it. The Master told her any bag she broke, as long as she put it in the box, it would be fixed for her.

After placing everything away and taking off her wraps, Erza headed to her apartment to shower and change. She didn't turn on any of the lights in the living room so the bathroom light cast a soft glow when she opened the door. She unwrapped the towel from her damp hair as her eyes locked on the folder on the table. A small note was written on top; Erza slowly pulled it off.

 _Thought you might want to see this. I promise to get you any info I can. Stay strong okay? We're here for you._

 _-Levy_

Erza crumbled up the note in her hand as she read over the information in the file. She never knew a single sheet of paper could change her world so suddenly. She gently ran a finger over his picture and frowned when a small tear fell from her cheek and onto the page.

 _Jellal Fernandes_

 _A formal agent of Fairy Tail, Jellal Fernandes was thought to be lost during a mission with his partner Erza Scarlet. After being pronounced dead, Jellal began to work undercover for another agency, leaving Fairy Tail and his comrades behind. Once his mission is complete, he is to return to Fairy Tail to report his findings._

 _Current Status: Alive_

 _Location: Unknown_

"He's….alive?" Erza whispered into the dark room. Unable to fully process the information given to her, Erza felt her legs give out from under her as she fell back onto the couch. Staring blankly at the wall for a few moments, she tried to gather her bearings.

"How?" She questioned. "I saw….I _saw_ him…"

She had lost him almost five years ago during her first year at Fairy Tail. They had both been eighteen and cocky. They were the perfect team in the sense that they knew each other inside and out. Growing up together and being lifelong childhood friends made them perfect partners. They were out on their first real mission together and something had gone wrong…They had been found out and Jellal….

Erza trained every day for three hours after that incident. After losing him, she couldn't bring herself to be out in the field without being prepared. She needed to be able to protect anyone else she might work with and was determined to be the best. Erza hadn't been at her best when she lost Jellal. She couldn't afford to make that mistake again.

Now knowing he was alive and she had suffered and grieved all those years for a lie…..

A timid knock on her apartment door broke her from her thoughts. Erza numbly went to answer it, the folder still in her hands. Levy smiled sadly at her from the other side; her eyes locked on the folder. Erza let her in.

"I was going to come and get it hoping you hadn't seen it yet. I totally forgot I dropped it off earlier today….I didn't want our fun night to be ruined by the news."

"It's not ruined."

"But…Jellal is alive Erza. You were played. I tried looking into his files but the only thing I found was what was in the folder. They estimate he'll return in about a month or two."

"That's…good news." Erza mumbled slowly. She shook her head and squared her shoulders. She wouldn't allow herself to be dazed any longer. "Trust me Jellal being alive is a shock…a big shock actually, but it's not going to ruin our girl's night okay? I can put the news aside for a few hours and think about it another time."

"Are you sure? Lucy would understand if you wanted to cancel."

"I don't."

"Erza…"

"Levy please. I'll be fine. Right now I want to leave this folder here and head over to Lucy's to have a nice time with my friends."

After a short stare down, Levy conceded. She nodded and helped Erza gather her clothes.

"Alright I'll take your word for it." Levy paused before smiling gently. "We'll be sure to make tonight extra fun then! You won't even remember Jellal's name by the end of it!"

Erza laughed and nodded in agreement. The two girls shared a smile before heading out the door.

 _0~0~0~0~0_

Lucy glanced around to make sure they were all ready. The club they were going too called for a little more style. All her friends were dressed in tight dresses of different colors. Lucy adjusted her black, skin tight dress and nodded. Her hair had been pulled into a curly bun on the top of her head with two curly strands framing her face.

Juvia had worn a light blue dress to compliment her wavy hair. She wore it down and Lucy found herself a little jealous by how good it looked.

Erza as always looked stunning without really trying. She wore a red dress that fell to calves and hugged her chest. A few strands of her hair were pulled back to show off her beautiful face.

Levy was dressed in a mint green dress that ended at her knees. Thin straps wrapped from the top of the dress around her neck and back and the color brought out her eyes. Lucy convinced her to stay in her flats, even though she would stay shorter than the rest of them.

Everyone was doing the final touches on their outfits when someone knocked on her door. Lucy passed Plue's bed and tossed him another biscuit to reward him for being so good with so many people in the house.

"Hello-?"

The door was pushed opened forcefully and Lucy was shoved into the wall. She groaned as Cana made her entrance.

"Let's party bitches!"

Lucy whimpered as she rubbed her swollen face. She pushed the door closed and walked into the living room to join everyone else. Everyone was watching Cana grin brightly. She was dressed in the shortest dress Lucy had ever seen. She felt her cheeks grow a bit warm at the sight; Cana might flash one of them if she bends over.

"Cana what are you doing here?" Erza asked seemingly disinterested. She stared at Cana from the mirror.

"I heard you beautiful ladies were hitting a club tonight and I'm ready to be all up in that! You guys ready to go?"

"You want to go with us?" Lucy asked with a smile. She was always happy to spend more time with her friends.

"Hell yeah!" Cana cheered.

"But Gray-sama made me promise I wouldn't drink with Cana anymore." Juvia whined. Lucy winced when she remembered the last time Cana and Juvia had drank together. Poor Gray couldn't look Juvia in the eye for a month.

"What the Popsicle doesn't know won't hurt him!" Cana laughed with a dismissive hand. Levy chuckled nervously and moved over to stand at Lucy's side. Erza finished her final touches in the mirror and followed Levy's lead. Everyone was staring at her expectantly and Lucy realized they all wanted her to make the final answer.

"Oh god." She groaned lightly. Cana was smiling at her while Juvia stared at her pleadingly. Lucy sighed. "Okay Cana you can come."

Juvia moaned something about Gray being disappointed in her but Cana's cheers drowned her out. Lucy smiled despite herself before pointing a stern finger at Cana.

" _But_ you have to promise to be good. _No_ getting Juvia drunk okay?"

"Yeah, yeah you betcha. C'mon ladies the drinks are waiting for us!"

Lucy fell behind and wrapped a comforting arm around Juvia's shoulder.

"Don't worry Juvia. We won't go too crazy."

0~0~0~0~0

The music was loud and the room seemed to vibrate with the beat. Lucy tried to cheer over the loud bass as she sloppily danced around her stool, her drink spilling all over the place. Levy was laughing hysterically at the sight, her own drink waving in her hand. Erza was shouting loudly at the bartender as she demanded another drink. She used a bent straw as a sword since Lucy made her leave hers at home. Juvia was sobbing over her own drink, her thick tears staining the counter.

"Gray-sama isn't going to love Juvia anymore!" She wailed. Levy laughed louder, Lucy danced harder and Erza poked the annoyed bartender in the cheek with her straw before jumping on top of the counter to demand he fight her in a typical Nastu fashion.

Cana watched all of them with shit eating grin, her camera phone capturing everything. She flipped the phone around to take a selfie and instantly sent it to the other agents of Fairy Tail. After the message sent, she took a long gulp from her barrel and shook her head.

"Such lightweights."

* * *

 **I'm sorry I totally had to bring Cana in. I didn't intend to have her come in this chapter but I love her and I couldn't help myself.**

 **I checked online. I guess the world record for breath holding is twenty two minutes. Juvia will beat that! :D**

 **Again this was just supposed to skim over their pasts so you could understand them better and hopefully I did a good job showing that.**

 **What do you guys think?**

 **Leave a review and let me know!**

 **Thanks to** _katiekat2001, Rachel Maddison, AnonymousStalkerFriend, Crimsonlink310, shmasholisti, animelove22, MasterSakura117, Crackshipper15, Dark Shining Light, sthokatrina, and Guest **for reviewing!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the delay you guys. Senior year just started and it's already kicking my ass. Signing up for the SAT\ACT tests and getting ready to apply to my dream college is seriously draining and terrifying. I thank you all for being patient.**

 **So this is the chapter that kind of shows the guy's point of view. After this chapter we're going to start going on more missions. I haven't decided if I want to take my own direction or semi follow the manga. If you guys have missions ideas totally let me know!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

* * *

They had all been having a good time. Mira had brought them all drinks while Gray was dealing out cards and Gajeel had just won the hand when their phones buzzed. They all shared a look of suspicion before picking up their phones. All three of them let out a loud groan before Loke came running over, grinning like a mad man.

"Did you see this?!" He asked excitedly, waving his phone in their faces. The same drunk picture was on his phone. Cana was grinning wickedly while their partners were as drunk as can be behind her.

"Yeah we saw it." Gray grumbled. Natsu slammed his forehead onto the table. Loke gave them all a strange look before slamming his palms next to Natsu's head.

"Then _why_ are we just sitting around Fairy Tail's bar? There are four very beautiful and _very wasted_ girls waiting for us across town!"

"But Juvia's there!" Gray all but whined. "And so is _Cana!_ The last time Cana and Juvia were drunk together…."

Gajeel and Natsu both snickered as Gray flushed a bright red. Loke rolled his eyes.

"Dude you had a beautiful woman rub her breasts on your face to get your attention. Some people would kill for that."

Gray glared at him but Loke paid him no more attention. He looked at his phone again with a love-struck grin.

"Well you guys can sit around here and pout but my gorgeous Lucy is waiting for me and I can never disappoint her."

As Loke rushed out of the bar, Natsu groaned once more and picked up his backpack off the table. Happy meowed sleepily from inside the bag. Gray and Gajeel both watched him curiously until Natsu gave them a look.

"C'mon we're leaving." He announced.

"We are?"

"You really want _that guy_ around our partners when their drunk and don't know what they're doing?"

All three of them quickly stood and ran out after Loke.

0~0~0~0~0

He watched her from his spot in the corner of the bar. After last night's antics, he was surprised to see her up and around. He could tell she was still a little hungover but she hid it well. She had her nose stuffed in a book. She somehow managed to read and have an engaged discussion with Bunny Girl. After turning a page she would flip it around for Lucy to see and while she read the next paragraph, she would listen to Lucy's thoughts and spill her own. When he strained to get a look at the title, he noticed it was one of Lucy's published books. He nodded to himself, now understanding why she was so adamant Lucy see every page.

Gajeel didn't exactly know when he started watching her. He couldn't do it often seeing as he was never around the Fairy Tail base for long before being sent out on missions, but when he was here, he found his eyes wandering until they landed on her. Knowing she was safe made him feel a little better each day. There really wasn't any way for her to be in danger; she didn't go out in the field often and was always surrounded by armed and trained agents but he knew how dangerous people could be. He was once Fairy Tail's worst enemy.

He had been working with very bad people for years. He had convinced himself it was just to pay the bills and buy his food but after a while, he had grown to like the dirty work he was doing. It wasn't until Juvia came to his door in tears after learning he had unjustly killed someone, did he notice just how messed up his head had gotten. He hadn't liked the person he had become. The final straw was her; Levy finally pushed him over the edge.

 _*Flashback*_

 _Fairy Tail Base: Outside Fairy Tail Apartments_

 _2:30AM_

 _Gajeel waited in the darkness, his body hidden completely from view. His heart was pounding heavily in his chest; the excitement of being on an enemy base was thrilling him to the bone. He had been sent for a very important intel mission and he was given permission to use any means necessary to get it. The perfect moment had to come tonight so he eagerly waited. He had goosebumps all over his skin and anytime he heard a sound, he would brace for action just to deflate when another ally cat scampered by._

 _His world seemed to spin when she walked down the street. Her blue hair seemed to shine in the dim light and her face was scrunched up adorably as she dug through her bag at her side. Gajeel was mesmerized until her voice broke through his thoughts._

" _Geez. I should have had Jet and Droy walk with me. It's freezing out here."_

 _Her voice was sweet despite the annoyance laced in her tone. Gajeel felt something in his chest tighten. Shaking his head, he pulled out his iron blade and slowly crept up behind the beautiful pixie. He had a lot of money resting on this job and he and Juvia needed to pay rent soon._

 _She gasped as he grabbed her and slid the blade up to her neck. He quietly shushed her before leaned down to speak in her ear._

" _You and I are going to go back into that building and you're going to show me all the information Fairy Tail has on Phantom Lord."_

"… _And if I don't?"_

 _Gajeel was surprised by her stubborn tone. He could hear her fear and her body was tense but he didn't expect her to rebel at all. He wasn't used to that either. One glare and people normally did whatever he wanted; the only one who didn't was Juvia. He shook his head once more and gently pressed the blade against her delicate skin._

" _Listen lady, I don't want to have to hurt ya but I will if you don't listen to me." He growled. Gajeel ignored the slight plead in his voice. "Now get moving."_

 _The small woman huffed but cautiously turned around and headed back towards Fairy Tail's base. She took him to a back door and down a narrow hallway. She was still in his grasp when she huffed once more and asked,_

" _Why are you doing this anyway? Fairy Tail just found out about Phantom Lord's existence when you attacked Magnolia. We don't have much to offer you."_

" _I don't ask too many questions and you shouldn't either if you know what's good for you. I need information on Fairy Tail's operatives too so that makes it even."_

 _The girl had the (figurative) balls to turn around slightly and glare at him. Gajeel couldn't help himself. He laughed._

" _Gihihihihi." He smirked. "Don't make me laugh girlie. That look doesn't suit you."_

 _The girl ignored him and took him to a dark room full of monitors. She flicked on a light and Gajeel let her free to look around. He bumped her into a chair and she glared once more before her fingers were flying across the keyboard. Gajeel noticed a few framed pictures on the desk and frowned. They were all of her and various other agents with Fairy Tail marks; he saw mostly men surrounding her. Something about that didn't sit right._

" _Did you get it girlie?" He asked gruffly, now thoroughly annoyed._

" _Don't call me that. My name is Levy." She snapped. "And_ _ **no**_ _I didn't. This takes time you know."_

" _That isn't something I have so hurry up."_

 _She growled under her breath and her fingers seemed to move faster. The room was filled with silence for a few minutes._ _ **Levy**_ _broke it._

" _Why are you really doing this?" She asked almost sadly. "You don't want to hurt me. I can see that you don't. Giving you this information to Phantom Lord would be really bad and it would put a lot of people in danger. You'd be ruining lives….is that something that you really want to do?"_

 _He stood in a stunned silence for a few seconds. Her words sounded almost exactly like Juvia's. She had been talking about leaving Phantom Lord ever since their battle in Magnolia. She had met someone in Fairy Tail who changed her mind and brought out the sun for her…Whatever that meant. Juvia had said Fairy Tail was life changing and Gajeel didn't believe her until this moment._

 _Levy turned to look at him almost pleadingly as the printer came to life with the information he asked for. Gajeel stared at her and felt guilt hit him like tidal wave. Too much was happening and he wasn't in control anymore._

" _I-I don't-"Gajeel shook his head. "Just give me those damn papers!"_

 _Levy handed him the papers and stood up cautiously, her eyes on his weapon. Gajeel shifted through the papers until he saw_ _ **Fairy Tail Agents**_ _marked on top and gave her back a handful. She stared at him wide eyed._

" _B-but this is….You only have Phantom Lord's-"_

" _I know what I have." He snapped. He was irritated by her looks and her smell and he needed to leave. He wasn't stupid though; unfortunately there was one last thing he needed to do._

" _I'm supposed to kill you now." He told her quietly. Levy's already wide eyes, widened further and she quickly got into a fighting stance. Gajeel smirked._

" _I don't know why but I can't bring myself to." He informed her, ignoring her flimsy strike. He grabbed her wrist. "But I can't let you run around free while I'm getting out of here. I don't want to be fighting all your goons while I'm running."_

 _His eyes darted over to the duct tape on the desk and he sighed. He really didn't want to do this._

 _Twenty minutes –and thirty small punches on her part- later, Gajeel was grabbing his Phantom Lord papers and leaving. Levy was glaring at him from her spot on the wall. She was posed in a crucifixion pose but otherwise unharmed. No one found her for hours._

 _When he returned, Gajeel found Juvia first._

" _We're leaving Phantom Lord next week Juvia. We don't belong here."_

 _*End Flashback*_

Juvia and Gajeel had fought alongside Fairy Tail for a month before the Master decided they were good enough to try out for a position. They both made it and shortly after they were recruited to Fairy Tail's best team. Gajeel had never forgotten his exchange with Levy. She didn't make eye contact with him for months and he couldn't blame her. He had threatened her life and taped her to a wall for hours. That wasn't exactly the best first impression.

She only changed her mind when he protected her from a stray bullet. A small group of low life thugs had broken in through their back door (something Gajeel had sealed shut afterwards. Too many people were finding her and harming her through that door) She had been shot at and in an act of desperation; Gajeel had flown in front of her and took the bullet through the shoulder. His recovery had been quick but she had actually smiled at him before he had lost consciousness.

Things had been different since then. She actually wanted to be around him despite everything he had done. Gajeel smiled lightly at the thought.

"Gajeel!" Her sweet voice called out. He glanced up in time to see her rushing towards him. She was grinning brightly and his heart skipped a beat. "Lucy said I could borrow some of her books over the weekend. Can you help me move a bookshelf so I can have enough room for them?"

Never one to deny her, Gajeel simply nodded and let himself be dragged off. He knew she would be ordering him around for hours until she found the _exact spot_ she wanted the bookshelf but once she did, she would smile at him and everything would be worth it.

Juvia had been right. Fairy Tail was life changing.

0~0~0~0~0

Natsu adjusted his backpack as Happy meowed tiredly from inside. He easily climbed up to Lucy's window and let himself in. He couldn't stop the grin when he saw Lucy still sprawled out on her bed. After he had gotten her home, he had replaced her dress with sleeping shorts and one of his old training shirts. Her hair was a blonde, curly and tangled mess. Knowing Lucy kicked in her sleep after a night of partying; Natsu had gone back to his apartment he shared with Gray for the night. He couldn't stay long when he woke up; the urge to see her was too great.

Her arm and leg were hanging off the bed while her mouth drooped open. Natsu never understood why guys could think some girls were beautiful while they slept. Lucy looked like she was half dead with a case of morning breath that could kill. But Natsu liked Lucy because she wasn't normal; she was constantly doing things like this to him. Natsu smiled to himself and bent down to let Happy out of his bag.

Happy meowed loudly and dove onto Lucy's bed to nudge himself under her large breasts. He purred happily as he began to snuggle with the blonde. Natsu scoffed.

"Happy, you pervert. You're gonna wake her up."

"No, your voice did that."

Natsu grinned as Lucy moaned loudly and gripped her head. She absentmindedly rubbed behind Happy's ears as she struggled to sit up. Natsu crouched down near her bed.

"I am… _very_ hungover." Lucy moaned once more. Natsu let out a loud laugh which made her moan louder. He offered her his hand.

"C'mon, I'll make us breakfast."

"Are you gonna burn it again?"

"No promises. You know how I like my fire."

Lucy smiled at him sleepily and he intertwined their fingers to tug her towards her kitchen. When he had her settled on one of her kitchen stools, he turned around to grab what he needed for bacon and eggs. Since he practically lived here with her, he knew where everything was. Normally he and Lucy took turns cooking but more often than not, she was cooking for the both of them. She often burned the food and she looked so adorable pouting over it, Natsu couldn't help but eat everything she made. He got some medicine for her headache and some water and felt his chest warm when she smiled at him in thanks.

"So how bad was it last night?" Lucy asked with a tired smile. Her forehead was cradled lightly in her palm. Natsu cracked a few eggs into a bowl.

"Well when we got there –we being Gajeel, Gray, Loke and I- you five instantly pounced on us."

Lucy laughed and let Happy jump into her lap. Natsu put some milk and cheese into the bowl with the eggs and stirred lightly. He got the pan ready as Lucy gestured for him to continue.

"Erza instantly had Loke in a headlock as she shouted her drunken ramblings in his ear. They disappeared after that and I can only hope Loke got her home without dying."

"One can only hope." Lucy chuckled. "When she's drunk Erza can be a little…"

Natsu heard her pause and turned from their eggs to see her shutter lightly.

"I'll call Loke later to make sure he's alive."

"Right well after that Gajeel picked up Levy and carried her out of there while she laughed up a storm. We're still not sure what was so funny."

Lucy smiled as he began to prepare the bacon. Happy meowed from the table top and nudged himself under Lucy's hand. Natsu laughed when Lucy went pale.

"Oh my god." She moaned and looked at him desperately. "What about Gray and Juvia?"

Natsu cackled as he remembered the bluenette flying across the bar to tackle the ice freak to the floor. Lucy looked so worried he had to laugh even harder.

"Cana has the pictures if you want to see but she basically turned into a puddle of tears at his feet when he showed up. She totally tackled him straight to the floor in front of everyone. Cana had to help him get her home."

"Well that's better than last time." Lucy sighed in relief. "Poor Gray."

Natsu hummed in agreement before turning back to his task. Lucy occupied herself with Happy as she waited and Natsu couldn't help but think about how domesticated they had become. This seemed like something a _family_ would do every morning. He hadn't felt that comforting feeling in such a long time; it made his chest ache with both longing and pleasure.

When Natsu finished breakfast, he silently served it to his best friend. As she ate happily, he found himself simply watching her. The thought of Lucy becoming his family was stuck in his brain now. She was his best friend; the one who completed both him and Happy. He always wanted her around, even if she was a total weirdo.

When Natsu was young, he had been abandoned by his birth parents. The man who had found him had taken him in and raised him as his own. Natsu has fading memories of his foster dad but the warm scarf around his neck assured him he wouldn't ever forget what he did for him. Igneel had given him a home when he needed one and showed him love when he couldn't feel it.

Until the day he disappeared.

Natsu looked for him for a year before crashing into Fairy Tail. Literally. He had been a kid running around on the streets when he bumped into Gramps. The old man had taken one look at him and offered him a safe place at Fairy Tail. Natsu had promised to do his best in the field just to prove Master Makarov was right in saving him; he wanted to show his gratitude by completing each mission given to him.

A year or two after he joined Fairy Tail, a young Gray and Erza did as well. They had formed their own small team during trainings. They all had the same goal in mind; to do well and prove they belonged there. Erza could be terrifying and Natsu couldn't go one minute without wanting to punch Gray in the face but he thought of them as family. He thought of all of Fairy Tail as his family but this feeling was different. His heart was telling him he wanted Lucy to be his _family_ but his brain was having a hard time processing the differences. It was making his head hurt.

He had met Lucy by a total accident.

She had been on the run too.

Natsu had been working on a solo case in a small town when Lucy had literally crashed into his life. He only took the case because he thought he could find some clues about Igneel's disappearance there. He thought he would be leaving with his dad but instead he left with his best friend.

Lucy had run away from home and had been running all over Flore trying to find the Fairy Tail agency. By that time, she had made connections with the Celestial Spirits and they had told her to find the Fairy Tail for a better life. Natsu wasn't sure if fate existed or not but something had made them meet that day. Natsu was meant to be the one to find her and bring her to back with him. Their meeting was too convenient.

 _*Flashback*_

 _Natsu gave a side look to Happy as he walked towards the center of town. His furry friend meowed loudly when they both approached a growing crowd. Something had gotten everyone's attention. As Natsu got closer he narrowed his eyes at the sight in front of him. A man was boasting about his incredible abilities controlling fire. Natsu absentmindedly rubbed his fire gloves together; the small machines on his wrist clicking as they bumped each other._

" _All of Flore knows of the amazing things I can do! Know my name! Bora the Salamander can make fire fly through the sky!"_

" _Are you a secret agent or spy!?" One girl swooned as she stepped closer. Natsu rolled his eyes and pushed his way through the crowd._

" _Well it wouldn't be a secret if I told you now would it?" Bora replied smoothly._

" _Are you from Fairy Tail!?" A voice shouted out eagerly. A blonde girl shoved her way through the thick crowd and ended up stumbling and crashing to the ground at the man's feet. She didn't waver though and looked up at him expectantly. Natsu had heard her but he couldn't see her; more people began to shove him further back._

" _Don't get too close to me." The fake Salamander warned. He sounded defensive and Natsu could only guess it was because he was about to be caught in a lie. "My fire is hot girlie and we wouldn't want a pretty face like yours being burned."_

" _You don't need to worry about me. I promise I can take care of myself." The blonde snapped. Natsu tried standing on his toes to catch a peek at her but he couldn't see anything but a sea of heads._

" _Oh I'm sure." Bora replied patronizingly. "Back off Blondie. I won't ask again."_

 _Natsu heard a loud slap before gasps rang out throughout the crowd. He can only assume the girl slapped the fake. He grinned to himself. Suddenly people were shouting and frantically trying to move back. Happy hissed from his side satchel as Natsu struggled to not get run over. Suddenly he was knocked off his feet as a body flew and crashed into him. Happy meowed loudly in panic and Natsu instantly worried whether or not he had been hurt. When he opened his eyes he was momentarily blinded by a mess of blonde hair._

" _The asshole threw me!" The girl cried in disbelief as she wiggled on top of him. Natsu was at a loss of words as the mysterious and_ _ **very angry**_ _girl jumped off him and cracked her knuckles. She grabbed a cellphone off her belt and sent a quick text before preparing her fighting stance. After checking that Happy was okay, Natsu quickly stood up and placed himself in front of her._

" _No." He muttered simply. "He needs to be taught a lesson and I don't want you getting hurt by his petty flames."_

" _Wha-"_

 _Natsu cut her off when he hurriedly thrusted his satchel into her arms; Happy poked his head out from the top of the bag as Natsu turned around and cracked his knuckles. His fire gloves hummed as he turned them on. The man smirked easily as he saw Natsu approached; he seemed cocky enough to expect an easy fight and Natsu was more than happy to prove him wrong._

" _You're a fake." Natsu all but roared. "You threw an innocent girl for asking a question and almost hurt my cat! You claim you can make fire fly through the sky? Well let me show you how it's done!"_

 _Before anyone could react, Natsu flicked his wrist and powerful flames surrounded them both. Bora yelped in panic as he hurried to get away. The fight didn't last long and Natsu was happy to find out he barely wasted any gas scaring away the jerk. When he turned back around, the blonde was hugging Happy to her chest staring at him in awe._

" _Uh…The name's Natsu." Natsu introduced himself awkwardly. She continued to stare. "And that's Happy you're holding."_

" _Lucy."_

" _What?"_

" _My name." The girl- erm Lucy- clarified. After an awkward pause, she smiled sweetly and gestured behind her._

" _Let me treat you both to lunch Natsu. I have a feeling we're going to become good friends."_

 _*End Flashback*_

The rest had been history. After their meal, Natsu had grabbed her hand and taken her to Fairy Tail that day. They had done countless missions together before being grouped into Fairy Tail's best team. Despite the fact that they technically had five other partners; Natsu and Lucy were the ultimate pair. They were hardly far from each other.

Snapping back to reality, Natsu gently grabbed Lucy's hand and let his thumb rub over her pink Fairy Tail mark. Lucy nuzzled Happy one final time before smiling up at him sweetly. Natsu couldn't help but return it. Lucy looked at him wistfully.

"Despite everything, it's been a fun two years right?"

"Yeah!" Natsu cheered. "Don't you worry Luce! There's going to be more to come too! Anything you and I do together is going to be amazing!"

Natsu could only grin wider when both Lucy cheered and Happy let out a loud meow in agreement.

0~0~0~0~0

Gray didn't know how he always ended up here. The room was almost completely silent except for the gentle sound of the water shifting. The air felt damp and he once again wondered why he had even come.

Everyone had been crowded together in a booth in Fairy Tail's tavern when he noticed a certain bluenette was missing. It was unusual for her not to be around when they had down time like this. Even Levy had left her cave to sit and have drinks with them.

Natsu and Gajeel were having an arm wrestling contest while Levy, Lucy and Erza were talking excitedly about Lucy's newest book. Gray, thoroughly bored, had begun to look around when he noticed someone was missing. Everything seemed to feel different when she wasn't around. Loke seemed to notice his mild distress because he pushed himself off the bar counter and sauntered over to them. Casually sitting down beside Lucy, he tilted his head to the side.

"Last I saw she was training in her usual spot."

"She okay?"

Loke smirked lightly which instantly made Gray stiffen and become defensive. Everyone always gave him sly looks when it came to her; as if they knew something he didn't. He knew how she felt about him; everyone did but they didn't have to look at _him_ like that, like they were in on one of his secrets.

"You could go look and find out yourself." Loke suggested seemingly disinterested. Gray knew better though. "It's a little strange she's there by herself instead of here with the rest of us."

Gray growled knowing he was being played. Loke seemed to know just what to say to make him anxious. Knowing one of his partners could be dealing with something alone always made his chest hurt; he knew what it felt like to be alone when you were hurting and he never wanted anyone else to feel that way. Gray sent a dirty glare to the red head but got up from his seat to head towards the pool. He mentally told himself he was only going because he was bored; he _wasn't_ worried.

The walk over here was fine but once he actually stepped foot into the damp room, Gray felt himself grow awkward. He knew she was once again under the water; ripples were dancing across the water and creating small waves. He peeked over the edge to see her moving gracefully across the pool floor. She seemed to be doing a form of martial arts. Her delicate fists were clenched and punching threw the water before opening. Then her fingers would spread, she'd take a step and let her hands slice through the water and return to her sides only to repeat the process. She had mentioned before she liked to train underwater sometimes; it was a good exercise and she felt as if she was bending the water instead of simply sitting it in.

A few bubbles escaped her mouth and floated to the surface before she seemed to notice him; she always knew when he was around. Gray waited for it. He waited for her to jump out of the water and tackle him in a large hug, not caring she was getting him soaked. Her cry of "Gray-sama!" would echo through the room as he tried unsuccessfully to pry her off of him.

He waited.

And waited…

And _waited_ but she simply stared at him from the pool floor. Gray stared back confused and let himself sit on the pool edge, his feet dangling in the water. Juvia waved hesitantly as more air bubbles escaped through her nose. Slowly she pushed herself off the ground and floated to the top. She stayed a few feet away from him as she came to the surface. She blushed when his eyes met hers.

"You okay?" Gray asked gruffly, turning away from her slightly. Juvia was staring at him so warmly his chest was beginning to feel funny. It was weird having her look at him like that while staying so far away from him.

"You're worried about Juvia?"

"Well you haven't glomped me yet so I was wondering if the world was ending or something."

Juvia let out a small snort of laughter and swam closer to him. She rested her wet arms on the side of the pool and leaned her head on them as she looked up at him.

"Juvia already feels bad about tackling you last night but she'll probably do it again when she gets out of the water now though." She paused to smile teasingly. "She wouldn't want the world to end for not doing so."

Gray rolled his eyes and offered her a hand to get out. She flushed red but took his hand gratefully. When she was next to him, she didn't hesitate to push herself flush against his side. He sighed when he felt her wet skin making the right side of his shirt and pants damp.

"I thought we had a deal about you drinking with Cana?" Gray glanced down at Juvia with a raised eyebrow. Her bottom lip stuck out lightly as she stared back at him almost pleadingly.

"Juvia didn't mean to get that intoxicated. Cana has a way to get what she wants though. It all happened so fast Gray-sama!"

Gray couldn't help but chuckle and Juvia simply beamed. He only noticed she was still holding his hand when she squeezed it lovingly. Now his own cheeks were growing warm and he glanced down to see her intertwining their fingers. He cleared his throat.

"You know partners don't normally hold hands. You can let go."

"Juvia doesn't want too."

Gray bit his lip as she once again squeezed her fingers tightly against his. Juvia always made his world more complicated; she always has, even from the second she stepped into it.

 _*Flashback*_

 _The sound of guns firing rang in his ears and blood seemed to be staining the city itself. Phantom Lord was attacking and Fairy Tail was fighting and loosing good members as they tried to push them out. Gray tightened his grip on his gun as he climbed to a building top. Once he was on the roof, he could get a good enough signal to send a message to Master Makarov. They needed reinforcements; hopefully they could get in touch with neighboring agencies for help._

 _When he finally got to the rooftop, it was pouring rain. He glanced up at the sky in distaste; it hadn't been raining before! Suddenly Gray froze when he realized he wasn't alone. A woman raised her gun as she emerged from the shadows. Her blue eyes were cold but seemed to widen momentarily as they stared into his. Gray quickly lifted his gun and pointed it at her forehead. With a quick click, she could be gone. An unknown emotion flashed across her face before she was tossing her gun and rushing towards him. In a matter of seconds, she had knocked the wind of out him and had his gun flying from his hands. He had never seen anything like her before._

 _They both were throwing punches and kicks and Gray was genuinely beginning to wonder if he could actually beat this chick. She widened her stance and Gray took his chance to knock her off her feet. She stared up at him angrily but did nothing to harm him further. Gray didn't even try to retrieve his gun._

" _Why?" He asked simply. Why were they attacking? Why was she helping Phantom Lord do this? Why was she aiding murder?_

" _A job is a job. Phantom Lord gave Juvia a home when she didn't have one. She won't betray them!"_

 _The woman he now knew was named Juvia, kicked her leg out and made him fall next to her. She jumped to her feet and tried to race towards her fallen weapon but Gray grabbed an ice bomb from his belt and tossed it at her feet. It exploded and had her frozen in place._

" _You're_ _ **murdering**_ _innocent people!" He shouted as he approached her. Juvia looked at least a little distraught at the information._

" _Juvia hasn't murdered anyone. She's let people escape and only wounded those who attacked her. She was told to guard the building so she will."_

" _You don't need to do this!" Gray insisted. Juvia struggled to free herself from his ice. Gray tried to show her reason while she was still stuck. "You're a skilled fighter; Fairy Tail can use someone like you. You don't have to be this person; someone who hurts and kills others for money. Phantom Lord will ruin all of Flore as their attacks spread. Don't let yourself be a part of that misery; help us stop them!"_

 _Juvia opened her mouth to retort but a large explosion below had the whole building shaking. The ice cracked and broke at Juvia's feet as she and Gray both flew backwards. Gray accidently groped one of her breasts for balance as he toppled forward and his momentum had Juvia falling off the side of the building. Gray quickly dove forward to grasp her wrist and pull her back to safety._

 _Juvia had simply stared at him in disbelief as she laid dazed on the rooftop.. Gray lifted a hand and glanced up at the now blue sky. The sun shined down on them both and Gray let his eyes momentarily shut to enjoy the warmth on his wet skin. When he opened his eyes, he grinned at Juvia lightly._

" _The sun's come out again."_

" _...Yes it has." She murmured quietly. Her words sounded heavier as if they held a secret meaning. Gray watched her fingers clench and unclench around her weapon before returning it to its holster at her side._

" _Juvia wants to protect you." She announced suddenly. Gray was confused but followed her movements as she stood up and gestured to the side door leading inside of the building. "Tell them you defeated Juvia and go to the fourth floor; it has better reception then up here."_

" _Why?" Gray asked. She handed him his weapon and he took it slowly. "Why don't you want to fight me?"_

 _Juvia smiled at him warmly before gently pushing him towards the door. He turned around and waited for an answer._

" _Because you brought the sun out again."_

 _*End Flashback*_

Even two years later, Gray has no idea what she meant or the real reason why she let him ago. All he knew was that a few months later both Juvia and Gajeel were being welcomed into the agency. She had been at his side ever since then too. If he was around, you could beat money Juvia wasn't too far away.

She had proven she wasn't just a good swimmer in the two years she's been with them. Juvia can handle her own and is quiet enough to stalk a person without being caught. Being on the receiving end of it for eight months, Gray would know. When she had finally come out of the shadows, she had latched onto him like a tick. A warm, loving tick who wanted nothing more to make him happy. How could you dislike someone who cared whole-heartedly about you?

Gray mentally groaned. This wasn't supposed to happen; _she_ wasn't supposed to come into his life this way. After losing his parents at a young age, Gray vowed to never care about someone again in fear of losing them and feeling that gut wrenching pain again. He had traveled with a woman named Ur and his somewhat adopted brother Lyon for a few years and in that time learned how to make his ice machines; Ur had loved him and reminded him what it felt like to be happy again. He didn't know how his heart handled it when he lost her too. The only good thing that came out of losing his mentor was running into Fairy Tail. But even then, something in his soul seemed to break that day; his parents and Ur had taken almost all of his heart when they left and it wouldn't be fair to offer Juvia whatever was left; it wasn't much and she deserved more than that. She deserved better then him. He still had his demons and it was unfair to ask her to fight them with him.

Gray flushed and gently pulled his hand from Juvia's grasp. He desperately tried to ignore her disappointed expression. He cleared his throat lightly as he shifted away from her.

"I just came in to make sure you were okay. The rest of us are having a drink in the bar if you wanna come."

Juvia stared at him for a few seconds before smiling softly and shaking her head.

"No it's okay. Juvia should get some more training in. Gray-sama should go back and have a good time without her though!"

Gray felt like someone punched him in the chest. She was obviously upset but she plastered a smile on _for him_ and pretended she was okay _for him_. He could easily take the out she was giving him. Simply just nod and be on his merry way but she was sliding back into the water with that _look_ on her face and he just felt _bad_ for being the one who put it there.

"I wouldn't mind if you came you know." Gray offered weakly. Juvia stared up at him in surprise as she floated in the water. "Despite um…you know what just happened, I would still like you to come and hang out with the rest of us. We're still partners you know? A team."

Juvia bit her lip and looked at him as if she was trying to decide whether or not he was being serious. Gray felt his goosebumps crawl across his skin at her gaze and he hastily stood up in embarrassment.

"Stop staring baka! If you don't want to come drink with us then-"

Juvia interrupted his hasty escape with her laughter. Gray was still blushing when she smiled brightly at him and lifted her hand for a boost. Gray sighed and easily grasped her hand to pull her up. He barely caught her mischievous grin before he felt her tug him forward; he flew into the water with a loud splash.

When he came up for air, he tossed his head back to get the hair out of his face and glared at the bluenette. She was giggling into her palm as she mindlessly swam around him. Gray rolled his eyes at her playfulness and splashed her as a small payback. Her joyous squeak made the corner of his mouth turn up. It quickly slipped though when Juvia gasped and pointed to the jeans floating on the pool floor.

"Gray-sama your pants!"

0~0~0~0~0

Loke smirked to himself as he took another sip of his drink. Being Lucy's unofficial-but-mostly-official bodyguard gave him the chance to sit back and watch during her downtime. He enjoyed seeing her smiling and laughing and tonight made his heart warm in his chest. She was sitting in an old booth, surrounded by her friends with a grin so wide, it looked too big for her face. Loke was pleased to see all the girls at the table with similar expressions.

Loke will always see Lucy as his number one but he quickly grew to care for the other three female members of Lucy's team. They were all beautiful and badass women; it was only fitting that they earned his unwavering attention. He really enjoyed giving Gajeel and Gray a hard time about certain bluenettes and he could still be around Erza despite the fact she had him in a choke hold the night before. Lucy, however, would always have a special place in his heart.

She didn't know it but he had watched her grow up; he had secretly been beside her the entire time. Her mother had hired him when he was a young boy with no place to go to keep an eye on her daughter. He had been under strict instructions not to reveal himself until Lucy really needed him and that moment finally came when she ran away. He had contacted old friends and bought a special cellphone just for Lucy to use to call for him. After dropping it off at her hotel door with instructions to call his number, he waited all day. When she heard his phone buzz from inside her room, she had turned, called him a pervert and kicked him right in the face.

After getting over the fact he was thoroughly in love, Loke had explained how to use the phone and the rest was history. Lucy had made him teach her some basics in self-defense so she could help him fight any threats and Loke had never felt so proud when she learned a move and grinned at him happily. She was so important and he didn't think she even realized it.

Loke snapped out of his thoughts as he watched everyone from the table get up and give one another goodbye hugs. Everyone seemed to split off into groups. Gajeel was going to walk Levy and Erza back to their apartments while Juvia walked home with Gray. Gajeel and Juvia had recently begun sharing an apartment and no one deemed it important enough to mention it was conveniently located right in-between Levy's and Gray's. Natsu and Lucy were already heading towards Lucy's place when Loke caught up with them.

As usual he walked a comfortable distance behind them but the two always knew he was there. Loke made sure to keep an eye on the others as long as he could before they completely disappeared from sight. He was confident enough in their abilities to make it home safely so once they were out of range; Loke focused his sole attention on Lucy. Her laugh made him glance ahead.

Natsu was holding Happy out to her and swaying the cat in front of his face as if Happy was the one talking. Loke couldn't hear what Natsu was making the cat say but Lucy was giggling uncontrollably. The sound made Loke smile to himself. When they reached Lucy's door, Loke glanced to the right to see his small house still secure right next to Lucy's. Natsu glanced at him briefly before turning back to Lucy awkwardly.

Loke scoffed as he watched the two try to put on a show for him. After they awkwardly hugged goodbye Loke rolled his eyes.

"I know about your little late night visits Natsu." He announced with a small smirk. "I was trained to watch Lucy's house like a guard dog. I've known from the first night you ever tried to sneak in so you don't need to hide anything."

"Loke it isn't what you're thinking." Lucy assured him with red cheeks. "I've been having some nightmares and having Natsu and Happy around help."

Loke held his hands up mildly before taking two long strides to be right in front of her. Lucy's eyes widened and Natsu's narrowed but Loke placed his hand gently behind Lucy's and pulled her close enough to kiss her forehead. She flushed and stared up at him bewildered.

"I know." He whispered. "I'm going to go home. I trust Natsu to keep an eye on you during the night."

Lucy shut her eyes and let their pinkies interlock. Loke knew it wasn't a romantic gesture; Lucy was finally showing her gratitude with action instead of words. Loke was half tempted to tease her about a kiss but with Natsu there he doubt he could get away with it. When Lucy stepped away from him, he smiled to himself as she grinned shyly at Natsu and opened the front door for him. Once both man and cat were in the house, Lucy turned to give him one last smile before waving and gently shutting the door.

As he walked back to his house, Loke checked his phone. A single text waited for him. Just like always. He grinned when he saw it was once again from _her._

 **From: Aries**

 _I'm sorry but I just wanted to make sure Lucy was still doing alright. Oh! I'm sorry! I also wondered if you were okay too. Reply when you can._

 **To: Aries**

 _Always Babe. Lucy's going to be taking another mission sometime this week. You should come with us. Talk to you soon_

Loke shot one last look at Lucy's place. He could see her through the window turning off all the lights as Natsu followed her around like a lost puppy. He caught Natsu's eye through the window and both men shared a brief look of understanding before Loke opened his front door. Just from a single glance, Loke knew everything he needed too. Natsu was more than ready to take his place as guard.

* * *

 **I'm a little bit of a sucker for LokeXAries. :D**

 **I don't know if its just me but the last three or so chapters of Fairy Tail have sent me on an emotional rollercoaster. That and the Danganronpa 3 anime is killing me. But hey!**

 **MY BABY JUVIA IS ALIVE AND GRUVIA IS CANON.**

 **This is what I've been waiting forever for you guys.**

 **Be sure to check out my one shot "Crazy Girl." because it's Gruvia and I love that song for them.**

 **If you guys read my latest chapter of When The Dust Settles then you know I've cut down on the reviews. I was asking for ten per chapter and I did get that but then it sorta disappeared. A kind reader left me a PM saying how review goals could make readers disinterested. They perk me up and make me want to right but it's a little unfair to demand them of you guys.**

 **I said my goal is five per chapter (no worries if I don't get it) and I have a goal to try and update once at least every two weeks if not more.** **If you read Saudade I promise to have that updated in the next few days. Be sure to check out my other stories!**

 **Thanks to** _katiekat2001, Crimsonlink310,_ **(I love seeing your name pop up in my alerts! Your reviews are wonderful and I appreciate you! :D)** _Amandineylan,_ **(You're totally right. When they took the vote, Juvia was the first to suggest Gray's name and despite wanting to tease him everyone voted against it after looking at Gray's pleading face.)** Guest _(3), shmasholisti, dogsrcool5, and Janell Harris_ **(Um no? I don't hate Gray. I love him. Gruvia is my favorite ship and Gray is one of my favorite characters)** **for reviewing!**

 **Thank you all for your support.**

 **-Katie**


	5. Chapter 5

"Alright brats, I have your assignments here." Makarov grouched good-heartedly as he sorted through folders. All the agents were gathered together around a table expectantly. Makarov handed Erza the first file.

"Erza, Natsu and Lucy, you three are heading towards Lincoln mansion. They're having a gala three days from now for their daughter's eighteenth birthday and want extra protection. There have been some threats against her life as the Lincoln family is very wealthy so please be vigilant."

"Oooh eighteen you say?" Loke grinned happily. "Hey Lucy, you need any extra help with this one?"

Lucy easily kicked her friend out of his seat and onto the floor with a dirty glare.

" _Pervert!"_ She cried before settling for glaring once more. "Natsu, Erza and I can handle it. I'll set up a band so I can perform and have eyes on everyone while Natsu and Erza walk the ballroom as party goers."

"Exactly what I was thinking Lucy." Erza complimented. "Loke would blow our cover by flirting with the birthday girl."

A dark cloud settled over Loke's features and Lucy rolled her eyes as he settled back in his seat next to her. Makarov sighed loudly and tossed a folder towards the orange haired man.

"Loke I know you normally only work cases with Lucy but I was hoping you could partner up with Gray for this one."

"A jewelry robbery?" Loke asked hesitantly. Gray reached across the table to grab the folder and read the information for himself.

"Some thief practically robbed a museum of all its jewels. You want us to track him down and steal them back?"

"I fear a fight is in order and I want you going in with backup Gray."

Gray looked over at Loke expectantly and waved the file back and forth. Loke glanced over at Lucy and she smiled lightly before nodding. Loke was his own man and easily made decisions that Lucy didn't agree with but when it came to missions, he liked to be by her side and if that wasn't possible, he wanted her permission before doing one without her.

"I'm good with partnering up." Loke agreed. Makarov nodded before handing the last file to an uncharacteristically quiet Juvia. She didn't open the folder right away; she was staring at Makarov anxiously. The old man sighed and nodded.

"I gave you that mission you were asking about Juvia. I don't agree with it though." Everyone at the table immediately tensed. If Master Makarov was unsettled about a mission, something was off. It was even more unusual that Juvia was the one asking for it. Her only mission requests were pleads for her to be partnered with Gray. The fact that she didn't comment on Loke partnering with him made everyone nervous. Gajeel frowned deeply.

"What mission are we taking Juvia?" He asked roughly.

"Sorry Gajeel-kun but Juvia's going solo on this one." Juvia told him tonelessly. She ignored Gajeel's instant protests, easily flipped through the file, nodded at its contexts and stood up to look at Makarov expectantly. "Juvia would like to get a head start on this one. Are we dismissed?"

Makarov paused but ultimately nodded. Juvia smiled at the rest of her teammates before turning on her heel and exiting the debriefing room. Everyone stood up but remained in the room. They all shared a look before Gray was asking the question that was on everyone's mind.

"What mission did she ask for?"

"I'm afraid that's classified." Makarov informed them sadly. Gajeel growled and crossed his arms against his chest.

"Even against us?" He asked in disbelief. "Before Juvia and I joined, we were partners. Any mission she has _I_ need to be a part of."

"Oh I already planned for that." Makarov agreed. "Juvia insisted on taking the mission solo but I never like sending any of my children out on their own like that no matter how good you all are. Gajeel I'm assigning you to work with Levy. You two are going to keep in touch with Juvia during her mission so if something goes wrong, you can be her backup."

Gajeel nodded instantly. No one knew if he was accepting the mission so readily because it involved keeping Juvia safe or that he got to be with Levy; it probably was a little bit of both. The perfect mission for him. Makarov nodded and began to exit the room but Erza stopped him.

"I know we all have our other assignments to work on but can't we know a little about Juvia's mission? Is it safe?"

"You know no mission can be labeled safe." Makarov informed them all sadly. "I'm sorry child, it really is classified. Juvia requested that too." He paused to hum thoughtfully. "Now if Juvia herself were to tell you about the mission then I suppose you could get the facts you wanted but I must warn you she was pretty persistent about it staying quiet. You'd need someone to persuade her."

Immediately all eyes turned to Gray. He glanced around in disbelief by their speed before sighing; his shoulders slumped but he nodded in defeat. Erza clapped her hands loudly, making everyone jump. She threw her large arms over Lucy's and Natsu's shoulders.

"Okay team! Let's get out there and finish these missions so we may come back and celebrate with strawberry cake!" She hugged Natsu and Lucy to her chest, the pair squeaking as they slowly stopped breathing. "C'mon you two, we're training today and leaving for Lincoln mansion tomorrow!"

Makarov watched the excited redhead drag her two blue faced teammates out of the room. Gajeel huffed to himself but ultimately headed out too towards Levy's office. Loke and Gray were the only two left and it wasn't long before Loke began giving Gray advice about how to seduce information out a woman. Gray stormed out red faced and Loke winked at Makarov before following him out. The old man sighed and tiredly rubbed his temple before smiling to himself. These blasted kids were going to give him a heart attack someday.

0~0~0~0~0

Juvia sighed as she began to pack up her things. She had left the debriefing room in a hurry so she could get to her apartment and be able to depart tomorrow. Juvia had been unable to keep from rereading over her case file on the way over and was so nervous that when she got home, she began to clean and bake to relive the stress. Thankfully the smell of cookies overwhelmed the smell of bleach and cleaner so her home felt warm and comfortable. Once her cookies were cooled, Juvia didn't have an excuse anymore. She hurried to her bedroom to pack up her things and grab the black hair dye from her bathroom.

As Juvia stared at her blue locks in the mirror, her mind wandered to the file Makarov had handed her. The picture of her target stared back at her.

 _Mission Objective: To gain information on Jose Porla's whereabouts._

 _Agents: Juvia Lockster_

 _Jose Porla has launched several small attacks on Fairy Tail and it's agents for years, able to avoid capture each time. He's crafty and uses Phantom Lord's agents to do his bidding, stealing and committing crimes throughout Flore. We suspect his main goal is to destroy Fairy Tail and take over. This man is highly dangerous and back up is required if an agent is going to approach for an arrest. Proceed with caution._

Juvia bit her lip. Just the thought of his name sent shivers down her spine. She and Gajeel had been in bad places when they met Jose. They both had been in and out of abusive foster homes growing up and needed money when they moved in together at eighteen. Jose had offered them comfort and a livelihood, knowing full well he was going to take advantage of them. Juvia had felt wrong during his missions; she didn't like using her talents that way. Gajeel was hurting people and she was stealing sensitive information that ultimately brought down a smaller agency. Jose had manipulated them and they both had let him do it.

Knowing firsthand how evil Jose is, Makarov only agreed to this mission as long as Juvia kept it strictly surveillance only. She wasn't allowed to approach until she called Gajeel in for backup and was given orders to use her skills to stay hidden. Juvia was desperate to take the mission to find some answers so she even bought temporary black hair dye to better disguise herself. Juvia had displayed her silent observing skills when she had stalked Gray for months. No one had even realized she was there and Makarov had it listed underneath swimming in her special talents. Now that Gray had taken away her rain, Juvia was good at staying hidden when she didn't want to be found.

Juvia sighed and shook her head before dropping the file on the counter. She glared at Jose picture before flipping the folder shut. She stared at herself in the mirror and sadly touched her beautiful blue hair. She had left it down in its waves today and mourned the color for a few moments before picking up the black hair dye. Her blue hair was just too recognizable and if anyone in Jose's circle saw it, they would recognize her instantly, warn their leader and Jose would be even further from their grasps. Juvia glanced down at her tank top and shorts before she began to apply the dye. As her hair turned from blue to black Juvia moaned.

"It's only temporary." She reminded herself. "After a few wash in the showers it'll be blue again."

She worked silently after that. Once the dye was applied and her hair was sticking to her head and staining her neck and shoulders, she hopped in the shower. Juvia bit her lip as she watched the remaining black dye wash down the drain. She didn't even glance in the mirror before wrapping her hair in a towel and drying off the rest of her. She got dressed and let her hair dry in the towel as she continued to pack up the rest of what she needed. Juvia was traveling light so it didn't take long to finish. She was heading towards the kitchen to eat one of her freshly baked cookies when there was a loud knock on the door.

"Hold on Gajeel-kun!" Juvia called out hurriedly. No one else banged on her door like that except Gajeel. When she opened the door, she was pleasantly surprised to see not only Gajeel at her door but the rest of her team too.

"Guys!" She called out happily. Gajeel growled at her before gently moving her aside so they could all enter her small apartment. "What are you all doing here?"

Levy raised her hand timidly before pointing to the kitchen.

"We're neighbors and I could smell the cookies." She explained. "So _I_ am here for cookies."

"I only came cause Luce was heading here but I'm down for some cookies." Natsu grinned and easily followed Levy into the kitchen. Lucy watched Levy pick up a star shaped cookie with obvious jealously in her eyes. She wordlessly pointed to the kitchen and joined her friends, Loke right behind her. Juvia laughed to herself; her cookies were never just hers for long. Erza shoved Gray and Gajeel out of the way and placed herself in front of Juvia almost apologetically.

"I came because I was worried but I will let Gray and Gajeel settle the matter with you." She explained as she bowed quickly. "Those cookies smell too good to ignore and I know Natsu will eat all of them unless I get some _right now!"_

Juvia silently watched Erza rush to the kitchen and shove Loke aside to grab a handful of cookies. Natsu had already shoved half of them in his mouth so Erza was right to hurry. Juvia laughed and adjusted the towel on her head. Her beloved and best friend were both staring at her disapprovingly and she could easily guess why.

"Juvia is guessing you two won't be persuaded with cookies huh?"

"Why won't you let anyone else know about this mission?" Gray asked her seriously. Juvia sighed and felt something sting in her chest as he frowned at her again. "It's not like you to take missions without Gajeel or I. You told me you hated going solo."

"Stripper's right." Gajeel barked. "You and I are a _team_ dammit! Before anything else you and I are partners Juvia; always."

"Some missions Juvia needs to take on her own." She explained quietly. "Juvia can't always have Gray-sama or Gajeel-kun holding her hand. She wants to try a mission and see if she can succeed on her own merit."

"There has to be something else." Gray argued. "Juvia, you know we all think you're one of the strongest agents we have. I think you know that too. What else aren't you telling us?"

Her heart was screaming at her to tell him the truth. Gray-sama would never judge her and he'd probably understand why she was doing what she was. Juvia could tell she was about to break so she quickly adverted her gaze from Gray's to the floor. Gajeel uncharacteristically gently gripped her shoulders and waited for her to look at him. When she did, he stared back at her seriously.

"You won't tell us? Fine." He grumbled. "Will you be safe?"

"Juvia won't approach. She'll-"

" _Will you be safe?"_ Gajeel asked again. Juvia gulped and slowly nodded. Gajeel was her best friend. He could probably guess what kind of mission would make her so secretive. If she wouldn't tell _Gray_ when he asked; anyone could guess it was serious. Gajeel nodded and squeezed her shoulders once more before pulling away.

"Okay." He agreed hesitantly "If you want to be reckless and go after him then I won't stop you but you're crazy if you think I won't be tracking you with Levy. If things go sour, I'll be there and ready to help you. Don't even think of protesting Juvia."

"Okay Gajeel-kun." Juvia agreed quietly. It lifted a small weight off her shoulders to know Gajeel would still have her back even if he wasn't by her side. Gajeel glanced towards the kitchen; almost all of the cookies were gone.

"Yo Shrimp! Grab some for me!"

"You got it Lovemuffin!"

" _No!"_

Juvia giggled as Gajeel flushed and hurried to Levy's side to grab his cookies. She knew of their little game and thought it was utterly adorable. She loved seeing her best friend so happy. Her blue eyes scanned over everyone in her kitchen and Juvia's heart warmed when she saw them all joking and laughing together as they enjoyed her treats. Only when Gray sighed, did Juvia remember he was still next to her. She flushed, angry at forgetting her beloved's presence but frowned when she noticed he looked upset.

"Juvia's sorry Gray-sama." She whispered to him apologetically. Gray's eyes met hers and she felt her heart melt. She loved when he looked at her. "She knows you worry easily but she promises to be safe."

"I'd just rest easier knowing what you were doing." He told her with an embarrassed frown. Juvia smiled to herself and reached up to unravel her towel. Her hair should be dry by now and her head was beginning to itch. When her new black waves tumbled over her shoulders, everyone froze to stare at her. Natsu even froze in mid bite.

Juvia smiled sheepishly and ran a hand through her hair.

"Okay that's not like a creepy Gray thing is it?" Loke asked worriedly. "You didn't dye your hair to match his right?"

"Um no." Juvia coughed awkwardly. "Juvia needed to be in disguise for her mission. It's temporary and will easily wash out after a couple rinses in the shower."

Everyone nodded in understanding and continued eating their cookies. Loke moved closer to eye her. He bit into a cookie as he walked around her in a circle; his eyes roaming her body easily. He hummed as he evaluated her.

" _Nice."_ He approved with a smirk. Juvia blushed as he leaned in closer and pushed up his glasses. "You know Juvia, I never noticed how beautiful you look outside of battle. When we both finish our missions would you like to celebrate over dinner? Maybe set the mood with candle light?"

Lucy rolled her eyes and threw a fish shaped cookie at Loke's temple, already used to his dramatic flirting. Both Gajeel and Gray glared at him while Juvia stuttered and tried to explain her heart only belonged to her Gray-sama. Loke rubbed his red temple angrily and shot Lucy a dirty look.

"I'd be mad but you just wasted one of your last cookies _so ha!"_

"Dude you left yours over here." Natsu snickered. "Luce and I are halfway through with them."

" _Hey!"_

Juvia sighed and let another smile spread across her face. She as going to leave in the morning but she made a mental note to make more cookies before she left. Her teammates couldn't be too upset with her if they had her cookies. She looked over towards Gray to see him studying her.

"Does Gray-sama like it?" She asked nervously, tugging on one of the newly black strands. "If he likes the change, Juvia will keep her hair like this!"

"Nah." He dismissed easily. Gray stuffed his hands in his pockets and headed towards the kitchen calling back over his shoulders. "The blue suited you better."

Juvia eeped and covered her mouth with her hands. She blushed at the mild compliment and smiled widely and she hurried to join her friends. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she vowed to hurry with her mission so her hair could return to its natural color.

0~0~0~0~0

"You know if you frown any harder people are gonna think you don't want to be here." Erza scolded her mildly. Lucy sighed and uncrossed her arms as she leaned back against the wall. She nudged Natsu next to her and shrugged.

"I just don't like being at these kind of parties." Lucy reminded them. "I hated them growing up and my dad always forced me to go. They just bring on anxiety and bad memories."

"If you're uncomfortable, you don't have to do this Luce." Natsu told her worriedly. Lucy smiled at him and nudged him once more.

"I'm not a princess anymore. I'm an agent. I should be able to put the past behind me and move forward. My mind needs to be on the mission."

"That's my girl." Erza nodded in approval. She smiled comfortingly. "You just have to sing a couple songs then you can join Natsu and I on the floor okay? The party is only going to last a few hours but that will blow by. We'll be out of here in no time."

Lucy smiled once more and nodded when Erza excused herself to talk to Mr. Lincoln. His daughter Elena would be meeting them shortly. Lucy sighed once more only to jump when she felt Natsu's arm around her shoulders. She glanced over at him.

"If you're really that uncomfortable, you don't have to do this." Natsu told her seriously. "I'd never want to put you in a position where you weren't comfortable or happy."

Lucy blushed lightly as she reached up to grasp the hand hanging off her shoulder. She gave it a mild squeezed and grinned at her best friend. Natsu was still watching her worriedly so she smiled brighter.

"I just want to keep Elena safe then go home and watch movies with you and Happy." Lucy told him honesty. "We can even do that thing you like. Make a bunch of food to put on the table so we don't have to get up or move for hours."

"…Can we cuddle with your fuzzy blanket? The really big red one?"

Lucy laughed and nodded.

"That sounds nice Natsu."

Natsu stuck his free hand out for her to shake and squeezed her tighter to his side.

"Then you my friend have got yourself a deal."

Lucy rolled her eyes as she shook Natsu's hand but she couldn't help but smile. Watching movies and cuddling in a blanket really did sound nice. Happy was with Lisanna at the moment but Lucy couldn't wait to cuddle with him too. She missed him. Neither of them noticed Erza approaching with a guest until the red head coughed to get their attention. Lucy ripped herself from Natsu's side and blushed when she realized they had been staring at each other too long. Her heart pounded in her chest and she didn't know if it was because she was embarrassed or if it was simply Natsu's fault. She chose to ignore it.

"Lucy, Natsu this is Elena." Erza introduced as she gestured to the girl by her side. Lucy knew she was now eighteen but as beautiful as the young adult was, she still had a rounded almost childish face. Her hazel eyes sparkled and her light brown hair curled around her cheeks. She was hard to take your eyes off of; an innocent kind of beautiful, bright and pure. Lucy couldn't help herself. She snuck a glance at Natsu to see if he was as mesmerized as the rest of the men in the room but he simply nodded in greeting then went back to glancing around. Elena's cheeks puffed out in irritation at the dismissal but Lucy noticed she couldn't prevent her heart from dancing. He hadn't looked at her! Lucy smiled at the young girl.

"It's very nice to meet you Elena. Happy birthday."

"Yeah whatever thanks Luigi." Elena dismissed with the wave of a hand. The smile easily slipped off Lucy's face and Erza sighed. Elena poked Natsu's stomach. "Are you going to be keeping an eye on me today?"

"Errr..Well I guess so." Natsu answered awkwardly. He glanced at Lucy but the blonde could only shrug. She was still thrown off by Elena's attitude. "It's more like I'd be watching for anyone who might want to hurt you. You're under our protection tonight."

"Well you should probably stay by my side then." Elena decided with a small smile. "Maybe you can fill my dance card?"

"Huh?" Natsu scratched the top of his head and turned to Lucy expectantly "Luce what does she mean?"

"She wants to dance with you Natsu." Lucy explained through slightly gritted teeth. She glanced over to see Elena watching the two of them intently. She was probably trying to figure out if they were together or not. Lucy couldn't help but place her hand on Natsu's shoulder gently. Natsu smiled at her completely unaware that the small gesture made the young woman next to them pout in disappointment. Erza watched the exchange with curious eyes.

"When I get done singing and the music kicks up again, save me a dance okay?"

Natsu nodded quickly and Erza shooed him and Elena away as the party began to start. Lucy sighed and adjusted her long party dress. It was a pretty sparkling blue but it just reminded her too much of her own childhood. As Lucy glanced around the ballroom and saw everyone dressed in designer clothing with watches and jewelry more expensive than a year's worth of her rent, she felt like she was seventeen again. She was supposed to be a princess; prim and proper at all times. Lucy was always stuck sitting by her father until a man way too old for her would ask for a dance and without fail during that dance, the men would ask about her financial status and her views on marriage. It was all a sham, a _game,_ and those people just saw her as a piece.

Shaking her head, Lucy focused back on Elena. The girl was clearly into Natsu and ignoring how that made her mildly angry, Lucy was determined to focus on the mission. If she didn't, Elena could be hurt or killed and she didn't deserve that. She took a deep breath and placed a smile on her face as she walked towards the band setting up.

A man with light blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes grinned at her as she begun to set up her microphone. There was a second one in front of Markus. She smiled back politely and waited for him to finish tuning his guitar.

"What's _your_ name?"

"Ashley." Lucy supplied, holding back an eye roll. "Yours?"

"Markus."

"Well Markus, are you ready to play together?" She asked with a grin. "Elena only turns eighteen once."

"Don't I know it. She's been telling me for two months of her 'coming of age' I have to play my best or she'll sick Daddy on me."

"That's the spirit?"

Lucy winced. She understood how powerful Daddy's could be; especially if he was the only reason you could pay your rent. Markus gestured to the other band members and gave her a thumbs up. Lucy turned towards the microphone.

"Hello everyone!" She announced loudly. Slowly the members of the party turned to her. Lucy tried to get a visual on Erza and Natsu. Erza was standing by the food table and secretly watching everyone move throughout the room. Natsu was in the middle of the room, looking bored as Elena looped her arm through his excitedly. Lucy knew everyone's eyes were on her so she couldn't roll hers.

"As you all know we're all here to celebrate Elena's eighteenth birthday. Go ahead and grab a dance partner because we have a few songs selected by the beautiful birthday girl herself."

Lucy moved away from the microphone and waited a couple minutes for everyone to get a dance partner. Elena had already grabbed Natsu and Lucy felt a little bad for the girl. Her toes would be so sore the next morning. Once she was sure that everyone who planned to dance had a partner, Lucy nodded to the band and a soft melody played throughout the room.

0~0~0~0~0

Erza watched Lucy move towards the microphone slowly, her hands reaching up to grasp it as the melody began to play. She smiled sadly to herself as she watched everyone dance. Elena was with Natsu and she wasn't too worried about her being in danger with the agent right there. He would have to disappear after their dance or too much attention would be drawn to who he was. For the time being, Erza could relax and enjoy the song. She reached over to grab a drink from a waiter but a hand grasped hers before she could do so and Erza found herself being spun into warm arms. When she glanced up at her new dance partner, she felt her heart stop.

" _Take my hand, take a breath. Pull me close and take one step. Keep your eyes locked on mine and let the music be your guide."_

" _Jellal."_ She whispered in awe. "You're here- how are you…? Why? I don't- _Jellal."_

Their feet easily fell into an easy step together and Erza found herself too dazed to lead. Jellal squeezed her hand and smiled at her sadly. She couldn't believe he was actually here; that she was actually holding him again. Erza was torn between crying and punching him across the room to demand what the hell he had been thinking. Since she was Erza, she did both. Tears stung at her eyes but she refused to let them fall. The hand resting on his shoulder came up to loudly slam into his chest. She took great pride in the fact that he had to stop dancing as he let out several coughs.

"Okay _thanks_ for that." He wheezed. "My heart had stopped and needed a restart."

"How are you here?" Erza asked quietly. They slowly began to dance again. Her mind couldn't keep up. _"Why_ are you here?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to see you." Erza raised an eyebrow. "I tried to hack into Fairy Tail's system again but Levy put up better defenses. She figured out my code and sent me a message. I had to beg and bribe to figure out where you were. Part of the deal was that I actually came back to Fairy Tail."

" _Won't you promise me? That you'll never forget to keep dancing, whenever we go next. It's like catching lightning the chances of finding someone like you. Its one in a million the chances of feeling the way we do. And with every step together, we just keep on getting better, so can I have this dance? Can I have this dance?"_

"Why did you leave in the first place?" Erza whispered harshly. "Mavis, Jellal do you know how hard I cried over you? How long I mourned and grieved? That I spent every night afterwards thinking your death was _my_ fault? How could you just leave me like that? We were supposed to be partners."

Jellal looked so grief stricken himself, Erza was surprised that her words had that big of a hold on him. He squeezed her hand and pulled her closer as he took an unsteady breath.

"I can't give you all your answers right now." He whispered regretfully. "There are still some things I need to finish before I can come back to FT. I know it's not fair and I know I don't deserve it but…will you wait for me? I promise the second I come back I will find you and explain everything. You can hit me or whatever you want just please be waiting for me when I come back."

"You faked your death and made me suffer for _months_ Jellal." Erza mumbled softly. Somehow her head came to rest on his shoulder as they continued to dance. "My heart was broken then suddenly you come back with _no_ explanations and _no_ answers and ask me to wait for you?"

"I said I know I don't deserve it."

"You don't." Erza agreed firmly. She felt Jellal pull her closer as if he wouldn't get the chance to again. She let him. Slowly she nuzzled her head into his neck and sighed. "I won't wait every night. I will continue to do my job and put you into the back of my mind until you come back otherwise it will hurt too badly. When you come back…I demand answers Jellal. I'm fighting against everything inside me that's telling me I need to kick your ass and get them now."

"I know." Jellal whispered in her ear. "I'll deserve any ass kicking you give me and I'll take it gladly. I only did what I did because I had to Erza; I wouldn't leave you otherwise."

"It hurts to see you. It hurts to know I was lied to all that time." Erza told him truthfully. She paused. "But I'm so happy to see you alive and feel your heartbeat under my hand that just this once – _and I mean it, just this once-_ I will let this go and wait for you to come back and give me answers."

Jellal nodded and the two fell into an easy silence as they swayed together.

" _Take my hand, I'll take the lead and every turn will be safe with me. Don't be afraid; afraid to fall, you know I'll catch you through it all. And you keep us apart cause my heart is wherever you are. It's like catching lightning the chances of finding someone like you. Its one in a million the chances of feeling the way we do. And with every step together, we just keep on getting better, so can I have this dance? Can I have this dance?"_

Jellal squeezed her once more before lifting his head away from the top of hers. She didn't realize they had become so close together; no space between them. Her heart ached as he slowly began to move away from her. The song wasn't even over yet and he was leaving.

"I know why you're here." He mumbled lowly. Erza immediately was back on high alert. "Lead guitar, waiter with the blue tie and the chef that's going to come out in three minutes with the cake."

"How did you-?"

"I'm not proud of it but my mission required me to make some dangerous friends. Your guys are chumps and you could take them with one arm behind your back."

"I could take _you_ with one arm behind my back."

Jellal laughed lightly and gave her one last sad smile. He gripped her shoulders and gently kissed the top of her head. Erza knew she promised not to ask questions this time but her chest hurt knowing he was leaving her again. Jellal held the kiss for a few more seconds before pulling away completely. The air around her felt cold.

"I've risked too much staying this long." Jellal informed her quietly. "I have to go but I _promise_ you'll hear from me soon. Wait for me?"

"Go." Erza whispered quickly. Jellal nodded and slid past her and vanished in the crowd. She placed a hand over her heart to make sure it was still beating. It cried out to her in distress. Erza took a deep breath and calmly made her way towards Natsu and Elena. If Jellal was right then the attack would start by the time Lucy finished her song. Erza found the waiter with a blue tie easily and moved to the back end of the room before waving him over for a drink.

" _No mountain's too high and no ocean's too wide cause together or not, our dance won't stop. Let it rain, let it pour, what we have is worth fighting for. You know I believe that we were meant to be. It's like catching lightning the chances of finding someone like you. Its one in a million the chances of feeling the way we do. And with every step together, we just keep on getting better, so can I have this dance? Can I have this dance?"_

With a quick final jab to the man's throat, he was falling unconscious in Erza's arms and the knife in his apron was falling out onto the floor. Erza quickly pulled wrapped his hands and feet together and placed him in a nearby closet for safe keeping. Lucy was just finishing the final note when the chef began to wheel in the large cake. Erza's heels clicked on the floor as she rushed to Elena's side.

"Natsu down!" She called out. Natsu immediately grabbed Elena's waist and they both fell to the floor. Chaos erupted in the ballroom when the guitarist next to Lucy panicked and reached for the hidden gun in his back pocket. He froze when a click was heard and Lucy quickly had her pistol trained on his temple. She shook her head and lifted her hand; the man sighed dramatically before placing the gun in her hands and lifting his hands in the air in defeat. Erza turned towards the panicked chef and shot him in the foot when he tried to escape. With a tired sigh she glanced around. Jellal was long gone but she almost felt his eyes on hers. Shaking her head, Erza moved to help Elena off the floor.

"Princess, are you alright?"

"Yes thanks to you and Luigi!"

" _It's Lucy!"_ The blonde snapped on stage. The guitarist was cuffed next to her. Erza chuckled and Natsu bounced off the floor.

"What about me?!" He cried in disbelief. Elena glared at him.

" _You_ just tackled me to the floor and bruised my delicate skin! _Lucy_ and Erza actually took care of the threat." The girl's eyes sparkled as she clasped her hands in front of her. "You two were amazing! Like I'd never seen agents move so fast! I'm so glad you were here to protect me."

"Well we're happy you're safe Elena." Erza told her kindly. Lucy hauled Markus off the stage and brought him over to their side. Natsu grumbled to himself before heading towards the chef to arrest him. Once all the bandits were gathered together, Mr. Lincoln called for applause throughout the room for their services, thankfully keeping it a secret they were from Fairy Tail.

Elena had insisted they stay for the rest of the party once her attackers had been placed in the back of a Fairy Tail van; they were already in the FT prison by the end of the night. Not seeing the harm in staying and wanting a distraction, Erza agreed. The rest of the night was filled with Elena's delighted compliments, _amazing_ strawberry cake and watching Natsu repeatedly stepping on Lucy's toes as they danced together.

* * *

 **Hey guys. I know its been a while since I updated and I'm sorry but life has kind of gotten in the way as usual.**

 **The chapters for this story are always so long its crazy. I was going to follow the manga mission wise but I thought that was boring because you guys would see everything coming. Right now the plan is to make my own missions; make my own story.**

 **I have another Fairy Tail story lined up (first couple of chapters ready to be updated) but I probably won't post it until I get a few more followers with the Fairy Tail fandom. I have a lot for Percy Jackson but I really want to branch out more so yes, once I get some more followers from Fairy Tail I'll update the new story. It might actually happen after I finish Saudade.**

 **In regards to Jellal's appearance I really liked the way it went down. The song was from High School Musical 3 (cheesy yes but effective) and I liked the way the lyrics fit with Jellal and Erza. He will come back soon and until then Erza is gonna be Erza.**

 **I'm probably going to focus on Juvia next chapter. I love that beautiful water girl.**

 **Be sure to review and check out my other stories. I updated When The Dust Settles and Saudade this past week.**

 **Thanks to** _Janell Harris, shmasholisti, Guest(2) Crimsonlink310, katiekat2001, MasterSakura117, Dark Shining Light, Luna Dagnoir_ **and** Amandineylan

 **I'm seeing repeating names and I love it!**

 **Be sure to drop a review and let me know what you thought! Maybe what you thinks gonna happen next chapter? Or what you liked about this one? :D**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **-Katie**


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